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In his letter of December 9, Dennis Sather speculates what will happen ‘when Joe Biden and his anti-gun cohorts start knocking on doors to confiscate firearms from legal gun owners.’

The last time we heard this hysterical rhetoric was after the elections of 2008 and 2012, only then it was Obama and his cohorts taking the guns away. That hyperventilation amounted to a windfall for the NRA in donations and for sporting goods stores in gun and ammo sales. But: no guns were taken from lawful gun-owners under the Obama administration, and none will be taken away by Biden. Indeed, when a heckler made a similar accusation last March, then-candidate Biden shot back with characteristic bluntness, "You’re full of s**t."

Such bizarre rantings are especially troubling given the widespread misinformation circulating about the coronavirus and the election. There are millions of Americans who think that COVID-19 is a myth and that simple precautions like wearing a mask are unnecessary. Millions more believe that Trump actually won the election, although officials in all 50 states -- many of them Republicans -- have certified Biden’s decisive victory. Where do they get these ideas? Certainly not from mainstream press or media.

It has often been said that you can’t reason a man out of a position he didn’t reason himself into. The extreme right media exploits the fears and prejudices of many anxious citizens. Mr. Sather may genuinely believe that his Second Amendment rights are in danger. I would urge him to read more broadly (not just Breitbart and Fox News). I would further urge him to trust our laws and institutions. The Second Amendment, for good or ill, is enshrined in the Constitution. Amending the Constitution is possible, but exceedingly difficult.

Anne Will

La Conner