Please click on the link, referenced in Jim McNally's comment. Admittedly, the letter referenced in my original post was from 1997, not 2007. However, if you read the discussion carefully you note that the Snopes "author" works very hard to discount the statistics provided in the original letter. I take particular notice of the "reassuring" comment that "And even with the ban in effect, those who can demonstrate a legitimate need to possess prohibited categories of firearms can petition for exemption from the law." "Prohibited" firearms include semi-automatic weapons.

Bottom line is the same as my original reason for posting the letter. In agreement with many of the posts above, there are many responsibilities associated with gun ownership. Safety, protection of children, mental health issues, the lack of "appropriate" punishment for violations of existing laws, etc. My position is still the same: I have firearms that I have used in the past in the protection of myself, my family and, when sworn to do so, the public. I will continue to possess and use them in that manner. And I pray to God that I will never have to do so again.

Rich