Editor, The Herald:

In the aftermath of the horrible school shootings of last week, I want to speak out publicly. I have been a hunter all of my life and am spending happy hours this season in a tree stand. I hunt with both a shotgun and a rifle, but I have no patience whatsoever with assault weapons. They have no place in the woods and they have no place in anyone's hands except for the military or the police. There has been a proliferation of these weapons in recent years, much of it caused by the scare tactics of the gun lobby that has reaped billions of dollars selling ammunition and non-sporting weapons to people who believe the lies that support their industry.

The weekend's discussions have often mentioned Virginia as a primary supplier of easy weapons. According to my search on the Internet, there are at least three dealers in my county, Amelia, who sell assault weapons. These horrible guns must be all around us right here at home.

Most of us are giving serious thought these days to the proliferation of weapons in our society. And we all know that there is more than one answer to the horrible problem that is so unique to our country. We must not let these conversations stop after the funerals are over. I will contact my government representatives in the Legislature and in the Congress. We need action from them. They must stop cowering to the gun lobby that is helping to buy their seats and that is reaping huge profits on the backs of dead children and innocent sportsmen. We all must begin to seek real solutions to our self-inflicted wounds.

Helen P. Warriner-Burke

Amelia