Dear Sir,

Mr McGaughey, I believe that you have been overly harsh on Ray Fleming and whilst you are also entitled to your opinion, once you voice it you can expect to receive that of others. Most children in Europe play with toy guns, replicas of what soldiers use in battle, but soon grow out of this habit and progress to things, which stimulate their intelligence. Whilst I perfectly understand what your Constitution states, it is the wise man that interprets the meaning and lives a good and orderly life. Why many of your fellow citizens wish to own weapons primarily designed to kill people is a question on the lips of most people in Europe, particularly after the recent tragedies. Indeed, we have had our own tragedies to contend with because of a failed observance of the stringent gun laws. You are quite correct in that currently, new gun laws would not have prevented the most recent tragedy, as there are so many weapons owned by people who obviously should not have access to them. Notwithstanding the latter, your Country must look to the future and adopt more of a preventative stance and with the passage of time you will eventually succeed. To own a shotgun or a sporting rifle is understood and appreciated by sportsmen, providing that they are a member of a shooting or hunting club and the weapons are safeguarded according the laws of the country. However, try as I might, I cannot understand why a grown man would entertain the purchase and ownership of a weapon designed for the military to kill humans.