I read your paper each week but it was the column in your March 22 edition, “Quit Distorting the Second Amendment,” that raised an eyebrow and a frown. The masters of distortion are writing that article.

I know full well what the Second Amendment says and means, and don’t need someone justifying something analogous to redefining what the meaning of ‘is’ is, in order to reduce and nullify the simple right for an individual (citizen) to bear arms. While the article admits the Supreme Court’s decision that the amendment applies to individuals, it goes a long ways to infer there’s nothing you can do with them, and that it means you can only under the auspices of the state. That kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

While cleverly written and largely discussing private militias and anything else the Second Amendment doesn’t allow, I could still tell something else was going on. And there it came — it was just in time for Washington state’s new gun-ban legislation. Let’s soften up the public and let them know they don’t really have those rights anyway, just before we ban some guns. I think the picture of the flintlock rifle and its inference to what the Second Amendment means really locked and loaded it for me.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been striking down this type of legislation for a long time and will continue to do so. I will side with the Supreme Court, not Mr. Stepankowsky. The trouble is, it takes years to get on its docket, and unfortunately these renegade states that infringe on the Second Amendment get their way for a long time.

In summary, when someone writes an ‘opinion’ chock full of activities the amendment does not allow, and those examples are directly associated with what Washington state wants to ban, and they show you a photo of a flintlock rifle, what else is a person supposed to think?

Fortunately, other readers responded here better than I could. A big thanks for Sandra Edwards for her rebuttal March 29, which was right on point, especially about inflaming the reader’s senses. And, I appreciate Sen. Wilson taking the time to explain it April 22. His statements reflect exactly my position on the matter.

ROBERT BONNEY

Seaview