We have received several letters this week in reference to the story on Carolyn McCarthy's proposed gun legislation and the various responses to it from, among others, the NRA. They have been uniformly negative, criticizing the fact that we would criticize this "concerned citizen" for proposing what is, in effect, a law that is already on the books.

There are, at present, 40,000 gun laws on the books, many of which are the same as those in Congresswoman McCarthy's bill. This was pointed out in the article as was the fact that in an election year, at the end of the Congressional session, the odds are that the bill will not be passed this year. The wheels of government turn slowly.

Perhaps instead of having a knee jerk response to any such perceived negative comments on the congresswoman, people should give the matter some serious thought. Remove the rhetoric and look at the facts as they actually exist. Passing more laws, reiterating existing laws, may not be the answer. We legislate and legislate and yet gun violence escalates. Maybe the answer is in taking more personal responsibility, and asking and expecting the government to take less: to stop playing the role of parent to the "childlike" citizens of this country.

We have, in many instances, turned over the rearing of our children to the schools, the entertainment industry and the state. Perhaps it's time to take the burden and put it back where it belongs, in the home. We're not advocating women giving up their jobs, nor only raising children in "traditional" families, one male parent, one female parent. Those are not the important factors here. What is important is that people begin to accept responsibility for themselves, their families, their communities: in short, take back their lives.