To the Editor:

When a gun or rifle is placed in my hands, I am anxious. I sweat. I feel fear and anxiety.

When a hunter or gun advocate finds a weapon in his hands, he feels content, secure, perhaps serene or excited.

These contrasting temperamental responses are the emotional basis for this debate. It can be resolved only when people like me fully acknowledge the right of other healthy and common-sense citizens to own weapons, and when those people respect my fears by ceasing opposition to sensible controls.

JOHN GUY
Indianapolis, Jan. 15, 2013