Editor’s note: This letter is in response to the Sept. 25 letter, “People are the problem, not guns.”

Nobody is asking you to give up your gun to safely go on hikes. Nor is anyone asking homeowners to give up their guns to protect their families. Most Americans are all for responsible gun ownership. Obviously guns don’t do anything without a person pulling the trigger. An automobile never crashes by itself or hits a pedestrian either. Why then do we administer tests to make sure people are capable of operating them? It is for the same reason that owning a gun should come with some sort of measure to ensure the safety of others. I hardly believe a background check or even a mandatory beginners course on gun ownership is too much to ask. As a responsible advocate of gun ownership, I welcome any additional instruction and diligence in this matter. If people kill people (with guns), shouldn’t we make sure anyone who owns one is capable, sane, and mature enough to own one?

I would like to point out that you are correct in stating that forks don’t make people fat. The misuse of food in most cases does. But neither by themselves. It’s always the two together.

Duane Simurdak

Enumclaw