I am a gun owner (Smith & Wesson .357). You know why gun owners have a public relations problem? Because of things like the open-season, no-limit coyote hunt taking place this past weekend.

It’s like Christians cringing every time the media feature Fred Phelps or the Quran burner in Florida. It’s like Republicans hiding their party membership lest someone think they are a birther.

Every time someone dreams up some new extreme measure to test the reach of gun owners’ rights, some nut jobs will be there, equating their right to this new idiocy with their right to defend home and family. Check Gunhawk Firearms’ Facebook page for examples.

I like target shooting. I like to think that time with my gun means that I will know how to use it with confidence and restraint if necessary. Killing every coyote in sight because of the predations of a few is like restricting gun access to everyone because of the irresponsible predations of a few. See how that works?

John McAndrew

Santa Fe

Anyone with a high-powered rifle, and maybe even some other high-tech goodies, will be able to point, shoot and kill something.

Calling an all-out contest to kill as many coyotes as one can is most definitely not good sportsmanship, much less appropriate land management. Sounds an awful lot like genocide.

Wendy Ozols-Barnes

Santa Fe

Meditation of thanks

We thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we remember the pilgrims this Thanksgiving. This faith and love sprang from the hope stored up in heaven for you as you heard the word of truth, the gospel that you received. All over the world, this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has done among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth — you sought to live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him by bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with his power so that you could have great endurance and patience and joyfully give thanks to the father.

Paul N. Lewis

Santa Fe

Bad breeds?

Chihuahuas attack and bite people with a much greater frequency than pit bulls in Santa Fe.

There is never any serious talk of banning the breed because the City Different has a tradition of not punishing the community for the failures of an individual.

While I believe that the owner(s) of the pit bull terriers who attacked Anne Stills must be punished to the full extent of the law, banning the breed is an unjust and un-Santa Fean solution unless we wanted to start talking about banning Chihuahuas as well.

Joseph Thompson

Santa Fe