To the Editor:

Our nation began with a battle over gun control. On April 19, 1775, soldiers of King George III marched on Lexington and Concord to seize the weapons of Massachusetts colonists. The goal of the mission was to make the defiant colonists defenseless.

As every American should know, the colonists had the courage to fight back, and did fight back, against British tyranny. The rest is history.

But now, 250 years after Lexington and Concord, despotic Democrats in the Rhode Island General Assembly are attempting to confiscate the firearms of law-abiding citizens. Two local legislators, Sen. Mark McKenney and Sen. Matthew LaMontaine, have joined the ranks of the enemies of freedom and are co-sponsoring the Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban of 2025.

As Bill Welch correctly points out, the purpose of this legislation is to “reduce the public’s access to firearms for self-defense.” What the law will not do is limit the access of criminals to these so-called assault weapons. (“Reducing criminal use of firearms requires honesty,” May 8.)

McKenney and LaMontaine want to strip law-abiding citizens of the right to self-defense. Like our forefathers did in 1775, we should find the courage to fight back against the actions of these two King George III-type tyrants.

1. H. Liddle

Warwick