Martinez a novice?

After reading Rick Martinez’s Jan. 30 column “A forever foray into the world of guns” about his deciding to buy a gun, a thought occurred to me: How is it possible for someone to have served in the military (of which he frequently reminds us) and to be so unfamiliar with guns?

I have never served, having been born in 1957 and just missing the draft in ’75 when President Gerald Ford declared an all-volunteer army – but I am very familiar with guns, having fired .22 rifles at camp as a kid and later 12-gauge shotguns while occasionally shooting skeet.

So it would seem that I have had “extensive” experience in the use and handling of guns in comparison with Martinez and without the benefit of his military training – although in comparison to most hunters and sport shooters, my experience is rudimentary at best.

I find it somewhat odd that someone who apparently learned so much while serving in the military never learned the basics of firing, and respecting, a gun.

Richard Towle

Pittsboro