I would like to counter Joe Voisine’s facts regarding gun violence in his letter, “Why does the NRA get to decide?” (Aug. 15).

The National Rifle Association doesn’t decide what gun laws get passed, the American voters do. Using the 221 million adults eligible to vote, as stated in his letter, a 2017 study conducted by PEW Research showed that 30% of U.S. adults already own guns and 36% see themselves owning one in the future. Together, that 66% represents more than 145 million voters that let their elected officials know of the rights afforded them under the U.S. constitution. Those 5 million NRA members, along with the other 145 million, help ensure that people retain those rights.

A second incorrect assumption was comparing Walmart to licensed gun dealers. Walmart is a licensed gun dealer and all firearms purchased at Walmart are subjected to the same background checks that they would be at any licensed firearms dealer. Voisine wrote that merchants in Freeport, Scarborough and Kittery should all stop selling firearms, along with all the other merchants that sell firearms and “household goods.”

The pro-gun supporters that Voisine referred to as “parasites” are his relatives, friends, neighbors and their wives.

If the anti-gun people really want to curtail the senseless killings, let them start by encouraging their elected officials to enact stricter laws that treat the mentally ill instead of hiding their problems in a closet, as has been done for decades.

Roland Rancourt Jr., Auburn

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