I read Marion Levine's article in the June 25 issue and my blood ran cold. I strongly disagree with her position on firearms and certainly do not consider Carolyn McCarthy a "modern hero." Ms. Levine is seeking to trample our constitutional freedom in the name of crime control. She obviously knows little or nothing about the subject of firearms because she uses the oxymoron "semi-automatic machine guns."

A firearm is an inanimate object that is neither good nor bad. It is a tool. If some of our fellow citizens misuse a firearm, they should be arrested and prosecuted. If, however, millions of honest citizens choose to own firearms for lawful purposes we should be free of the big brother mentality of Ms. Levine and Carolyn McCarthy.

James G. Collins