Regarding Guy Sharpless‘ Feb. 6 letter to the editor (“Did the slippery slope really start with weapons ban reversal”), he cites incorrect facts in his opinion piece.

Automatic weapons were already illegal to possess without a specific Federal Firearms License, courtesy of gun laws passed in the 1930s, 1968 and 1984 (with National Rifle Association support).

Nobody is lobbying to overturn those. The Clinton 1994 gun ban’s stated purpose was “to prohibit the manufacture, transfer, or possession of a semiautomatic assault weapon …” Defining what constitutes an “assault weapon” is subjective and has been subject to much debate — depending more upon whom you ask than what it actually is.

Regardless of where your readers may stand on the issue, their position should be formed from facts, not opinion. I encourage them to remain skeptical and check the facts using reputable sources.

JOHN POULOS

Baton Rouge