Letters: Gun law: listen to what the people say

Sir: In 1988 my ex-husband lost his first wife and son in a horrific car accident. Only weeks after the accident, the police granted his application for a shotgun licence. In the event friends were able to bring pressure to bear to stop him actually acquiring a gun and he never fulfilled his fantasies of revenge, but I had naively assumed that "someone in authority" would see the dreadful state he was in and not compound it by allowing him easy access to a weapon.

The question is do we want to put temptation in someone's way? The Home Affairs Select Committee considering gun control after Dunblane seems to think we should. This ignores the obvious fact that guns make people in powerless situations feel powerful.

As Pamela Ross pointed out in her open letter, "there is no way you can decide on the suitability of someone to own guns. You can never foresee every circumstance they will find themselves in."

TRACY HART

London SE14