Excellent letter Evan!

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My Letter in Barre Times Argus

Date: Feb 12, 2009 6:32 PM

For years I have refrained from letters to newspapers,

except for a letter last fall to correct a terrible

misquoting of Dr. Steve Halbrook at a speaking

engagement. This time I had to speak out.

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090212/OPINION02/902120303&frompost=1

Brady ranking off base

Published: February 12, 2009

The article “National group Gives Vermont F for gun laws” missed some important facts. The Brady Campaign state grades has 40 states rated at 22 points or lower.

It is a very skewed rating result which has 80 percent of the states of the nation only score 22 points of a possible 100 points.

Three other states tied Vermont with the same point rating and 20 states had point ratings lower than Vermont. By this standard, at an absolute minimum, 24 of the 50 states in the nation received an “F” rating.

The Times Argus article did not report or question the tilted aspects of the grading process or the state rating system of the Brady Campaign. Nor did the article report the fact that the states with the highest Brady ratings are among the highest crime rates states in the nation and the states with the lowest Brady approval ratings have the lowest crime rates.

The Barre Gun Show, which started two days after the Brady article, brings thousands of people to the area. It produces revenues for restaurants, hotels/motels and many other businesses. Revenues badly needed in these times. By all accounts the Barre Gun Show had an outstanding year, despite these current tough economic conditions, and the previously mentioned biased Times Argus article.

The sales of firearms, firearms accessories and ammo are reaching record levels. This at a time when the Times Argus has reduced the size of the paper and increased the price to a dollar. All of this makes you wonder why the Times Argus would work so hard to alienate a large segment of its potential readership and the customers of its advertisers.

Evan Hughes

Central Vice-president of the Vt. Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !