SIR: I refer to the proposed ban on higher calibre firearms. I consider myself to be a law-abiding, responsible citizen and resent the implication that because I am a firearms owner, I pose a threat to society.

As a mother of two primary age children, I was as horrified as anyone else by the events of Dunblane, but I am not Thomas Hamilton and to suggest that I constitute a similar danger is absurd. If the Home Secretary and Tony Blair seriously believe that possession of a weapon implies the ability to use it unlawfully, then perhaps they should consider whether all men should be castrated since possession of male genitals leads a few to carry out rape. If they agree to be the first to undergo this process in order to safeguard women in society, I will gladly relinquish my firearm to the authorities, u ntil that time however, I will refuse to comply with the firearms ban.

S P, Bolton

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