I noticed Diane Meehl’s letter concerning Initiative 594 in the Aug. 29 edition of the Kirkland Reporter.

She claims that the initiative respects the Second Amendment rights of gun owners but is incorrect. I’ve read the initiative, all 18 unfortunate pages.

The initiative only appears to respect the rights of gun owners but actually denies those rights over the long term. It specifically allows safety training only for those under 18 years old. Most current safety training for adults, including classes that I have been teaching for over ten years, would not be allowed.

Someone who wants to purchase a firearm, even for hunting, would have to pay for it and take delivery of it before they could handle it to see if it fits their needs.

Diane’s examples of on-line gun sales and the ‘gun-show loophole’ are used to impress those unfamiliar with the real numbers on accidents and crime rates, which have been falling steadily for the past 20 years.

We would be better served by voting for Initiative 591, which supports national standards, than by this measure, which would create new felonies without inconveniencing criminals in the least.

Certified firearms instructor Martin Morehouse, Bothell