To the Editor:

A recent letter says “Amen” to another reader’s anti-gun opinion (Jan. 6). The writer believes that outlawing automatic and assault-type weapons is “the common-sense thing to do.” Obviously, the writer is uninformed or chooses to ignore fact.

By law, civilians have been denied ownership of automatic (i.e. machine guns) weapons since the 1930s. As far as assault-type weapons (also, actually, machine guns), only the military has assault weapons. These weapons also are, by law, denied ownership to civilians. Just because someone has what looks like an assault weapon doesn’t make it an assault weapon. It doesn’t matter if the manufacturer makes it look like one or what attachments the owner puts on it, it’s still not a machine gun or an assault rifle.