NRA members represent a minority of the population

The title of Dave Reichert’s column “Let’s work together on gun control” [Opinion, Jan. 16] is the height of hypocrisy. He goes on to tell us how he will not work with President Obama on any of his recommendations on controlling gun violence in our country.

The Second Amendment does not state that assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that can kill many people in a minute should be available to every citizen. The NRA has 4 million members, not 300 million. It is time for Congress to listen to the rest of us. Why should the gun owners have rights that threaten the safety and well-being of those of us who are not gun owners.

These weapons are killing machines — they need to be banned. No one is asking for legislation to take away the guns that people already have, but we must try to stop this madness from going forward. We in Washington must vote for representatives who are on the other side of this issue, no matter what party they belong to. And we can start with replacing Reichert.

--Anne Kleinman, Sammamish

Reichert should support colleagues, disavow NRA

Bravo Dave Reichert.

It is so good to see our own Dave Reichert speak out about gun violence. Now it’s time for Congressman Reichert to disavow the NRA and its over-the-top stance.

Let’s hear him disavow some of his fellow congressmen’s statements on dictatorship and impeachment. Let’s hear that Dave Reichert speak out in support his fellow lawmen, speak out on what he knows is blatantly false by his colleagues in Congress.

--W.C. Schiffer, Sammamish

Gun control needs solutions now

Dave Reichert, no one has mentioned anything about taking our Second Amendment rights away. What the growing majority of the American people, including the people in your district, want is the removal of weapons of mass destruction, now available to anybody, from our streets.

There has been no talk about taking away our hunting rifles, pistols and target rifles, other than by the NRA and its representatives. There is talk about trying to bring some rational thought to what is being made available to anyone on our streets today.

What we want is to know that there is an intelligent life form in Congress who knows the difference between an assault weapon and a firearm.

We do not need assault-type weapons with expanded-capacity magazines available — with or without background checks, because theft is a major source of guns for criminals.

All the items mentioned in your column appear to be after-the-fact solutions; we need before-the-fact action now before the next atrocity.

--Larry Barton, Kirkland