Dear RDH:
Thank you for your efforts that make RDH the fine publication that it is. I have worked in the dental field for more than 32 years, the last 20 as a dental hygienist and a subscriber to RDH magazine. In the July 2000 Editor`s Note, I was disappointed by your slight of the National Rifle Association and its members, to whom no firearm is a toy. The average NRA poster boy (or girl) is a highly motivated individual who loves God, country, and family; works hard to make a decent living; and volunteers his or her time, energy, money, and resources to a variety of worthy causes.
For example, throughout the years I have taught oral hygiene in both schools and church; given away toothbrushes at parades and at Halloween; taught dental related courses at the college level; and performed oral prophylaxis for missionaries and their families in Haiti.
I have also taught classes for the NRA Eddie Eagle firearm safety; NRA Refuse to be a Victim; NRA personal protection; and hunter safety education for the state of Ohio and for the Becoming An Outdoors-Woman program.
Just as the dental profession is devoted to oral health, the NRA is devoted to firearm safety, education, and training. Are my endeavors in the one area any more or less worthy than the other? Certainly, they are both significant to a major portion of the population!
Thanks for allowing me to express myself. I hope you now have a better idea of what the NRA is about and what the members are like.
Pam DeLille Sheets, RDH
Columbus, Ohio
Editor`s note: I certainly would agree that the overwhelming majority of NRA members treat possession and ownership of firearms responsibly.
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