To the Editor:

Kudos to The New York Times for its Dec. 5 front-page editorial, “The Gun Epidemic.”

In my lifetime, the right to bear arms has mutated into the legal ownership of assault rifles and flamethrowers. It is large-scale madness.

Any presidential hopeful bold enough to take a strong position opposing these weapons of mass destruction will have my support. Looking at the current field, I’m not optimistic.

CELIA SAVONEN

Southfield, Mich.

To the Editor:

Every time we endure another mass shooting, I get angry.

I am furious with the gun-crazed National Rifle Association, which morphed from being an organization that supported sportsmen to the shrill proponent of unfettered access to every kind of bullet-firing weapon.

I am furious with the politicians who caved in to the demands of the N.R.A. I am furious with the Republican Party for making support of the gun lobby an immutable policy position.