Say the words “assault weapon” a few times. What comes to mind? Do you think of hunting or sports? Do you think of defending your home or family? Of course not.

[Groups Propose Semiautomatic Gun Ban, Sept. 17 issue]

The National Rifle Association has been hammering away at politicians to get the Brady law lifted since it was passed and now with George W. Bush in office, they’ve succeeded.

They say it has infringed on the rights of the law-abiding citizens who need assault weapons for hunting. Hunting? Who hunts with an AK-47? What would you hunt with an AK-47? The only people who are trying to get those types of weapons are criminals and terrorists. No one else has a use for them. They are a weapons designed to kill people.

I am a gun owner and a hunter, and I support the Second Amendment, but I can’t imagine ever needing an assault weapon. Now that Brady law has expired and President Bush did absolutely nothing to stop it from doing so, are our police officers and families in danger? Will the police soon be out gunned in the streets?

Critics of the law say that it only hurt the law-abiding gun owners, but I don’t see that it did. It never hurt me at all. I still purchased my rifles for hunting and my hand guns for sport and protection. Where or when was I hurt? I believe the law was doing a lot of good, but it was killed too early to see the results. When Ford stopped making the Model T it didn’t disappear overnight. But, how many do you see driving around the streets today? If gun makers are allowed to make these weapons, they’ll never go away and always be available for criminals to find.

Mr. Bush has only helped the criminals and the terrorists by letting this law expire. By doing so, he has also shown that he is more concerned with being re-elected than helping anyone. I am 26 and have never voted before. This year will be the first time and I owe it all to Mr. Bush. He was given a chance and did nothing with it. It’s time for a change.—

Michael Adler Glendale