George,

I grew up in a small town in the Finger Lakes region of New York - my paternal grandfather introduced me to guns when I was rather young (before teen-age-hood) - he would take me to the swampy area and shoot turtles ( my grandmother did something with them - it wasn't just random shooting) - he let me shoot a few times, but I do not remember being enamored of the exercise - he also let me work on clocks (taking apart and repairing them) which was much more fun!

To my knowledge, my father never hunted and never served in the army; there were no guns in our home. Neither of my brothers have owned guns, although the one who moved to San Antonio may be considering it!

My husband is a hunter, one of the most responsible practitioners of the sport that I have ever run across. Guns do not excite me, nor do they scare me, unless they are in the hands of someone whom I don't trust.

I do not want them available without regulation, and firmly believe there are places where they should not be allowed at all - schools, churches, public buildings, etc.

Sue Lewis (electronic mail, June 10, 2001).