To the Editor,

One of the hot topics of the election is gun control.

As a gun owner and a NRA member, I believe in my Second Amendment right to own and bear arms. I also believe that all gun owners need to follow the gun laws in the area they live, including with regard to safety. I’m retired from Northern Virginia and moved to city of Lumberton seven years ago. At times I hear gunshots going off both at night and during the day. But with the city not being very large. the shots could very well be coming from the county.

I enjoy shooting like anyone else who has guns, but it should be done in a safe manner. I understand certain times of the year — like the Fourth of July — people like to make noise and they will fire their guns. But recently I repaired a bullet hole in my house, yes here in the city, a bullet hole. It went into the top of the gutter came out the back bottom edge into the overhang, just above the bathroom window. A few inches lower and a person in the bathroom could have been injured.

When a gun is shot in the air, the bullet has to come down — and in my case it wasn’t good.

Gary Thomas

Lumberton