In response Doug Brown's letter on Feb. 19, suggesting that military-style firearms be restricted, I offer the following: These are firearms, not weapons. A firearm is only a piece of hardware. If it is used against a human being, it becomes a weapon.

Military firearms come in a variety of actions -- single shot, bolt action, semi-automatic and fully automatic/select fire.

Fully automatic firearms have been banned from civilians for many years. An AR15, available to law-abiding citizens, is a semi-automatic firearm, one trigger squeeze sends one round down range. These firearms are fun to shoot, relatively inexpensive and accurate.

There is nothing evil about the configuration. In fact, it is wonderfully adaptable to persons of almost any stature, and recoil is almost nonexistent, making it comfortable for all shooters.

The first murder was recorded in Genesis. It was done with a rock. Since then, rocks have been used to build the elements of society. Let's focus on what is needed -- help for those who need it and punishment for those who misuse any inanimate object (guns, knives, rocks, automobiles and the like).

DAVID A. MYERS, Pasco