In response to Dan Boland’s of Jan. 5:

It is time sanctimonious hunters live in reality. They are not assault rifles, they are semi-auto sporting rifles suitable for hunting all North American game animals. What hunters call a bolt action hunting rifle, the anti-gun side calls a high powered sniper rifle; what hunters call a shotgun the anti-gun side calls a riot gun or a trench warfare gun.

 Note, during WWI, the Germans used toxic gas as a weapon but thought shotguns should be banned from war and threatened to execute any American soldier caught with one. What hunters call a lever action rifle, the anti-gun side calls the gun that killed untold numbers of Native Americans; what hunters call a hunting handgun, the anti-gun side calls hand cannons that blow through bulletproof vests.

 Live in reality — once the anti-gun side gets its victory over semi-auto sporting rifles, your hunting firearms are next. As gun owners, we need to stand together or we will all lose.

— David G. Calderone

Anchorage