PUBLIC FORUM\Gun sales slumped when panic buying ended.

I couldn't avoid gagging on a recent explanation for declining gun sales ("1995 gun sales lowest in 18 years," Daily News, Feb. 8) made by someone who obviously knows little about what motivates most people who purchase guns. It credited an increased belief in the ability of our police departments to protect us from crime. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Past years' motivations included severe civil unrest and a very real fear that lawmakers might make future gun purchases impossible. Thousands of people who otherwise wouldn't have purchased guns did so in direct response to threatening legislative proposals. In a very real way, the same people who wanted to take guns away from the public caused panic buying.

Another great blunder was the new law that forces private parties to buy and sell their used guns through an expensive and time-consuming process involving licensed dealers. Instead of enabling police agencies to closely monitor all sales, this new law has driven a substantial part of the market underground.

Now a large portion of used guns are sold on the street to people who will never register them. Registered sales are down but the number of guns available to criminals has grown, thanks again to another well-intentioned gun law that did not take human nature into consideration.

I have my own dream: One day lawmakers will review the historic result of previous gun-related legislation, and relax gun laws. They will realize that doing so almost always decreases crime, and low crime, is what we all want.

bbb- Scott Yollis

Granada Hills

Sandy Cooney of Handgun Control claims that crime rates have fallen because gun sales were down in 1995. What a remarkably short memory Cooney has.

In recent years, as handgun sales soared and crime rates fell, Handgun Control wrung its hands and predicted surging violence in the future. But the future is here and crime continues to fall.

Faced with these facts, Cooney must pretend that all the handguns sold in past years have melted away, and are not still in existence helping people protect themselves.

- Robert Harding

Granada Hills

Simpson's 'whining'

Reading "In search of vindication" by Bill Thompson, (Opinions, Feb. 9), I was so touched by O.J. Simpson's whining that he wants his life back. I would like to inform Simpson that so would Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson.

- Benjamin R. Laufer

Sherman Oaks

Seeking citizenship

This is in reply to Georgia Blake (" Citizenship tests," Public Forum, Feb. 2):

Please understand that the citizenship program was started here at the East Valley Multi-Purpose Center for Seniors in North Hollywood so that the elderly would not have to travel to downtown Los Angeles and wait for hours to process their application.

Most of these elderly have been living and working in the United States for 20 to 30 to 40 years and have been paying their share of taxes for all these years. They all carry green cards that were issued to them many years ago and are here legally. They all read and write so they are all able to pass the INS exam.

These people are not illegal aliens. They have all come through our borders legally and have met all the requirements that our government asked of them. And they are not asking for anything they do not deserve.

Here at the East Valley Multi-Purpose Center for Seniors we offer this service as a helping hand to those in need. And we also offer compassion, empathy, love and caring and even a helpful hand.

- Geneva R. Hyatt

Program Director

North Hollywood

Religion: another view

I found Maggie Gallagher's column "Marx had it all wrong about the evils of religion" (Daily News, Feb. 7) to be a very interesting study on the benefits of religion. However, I would go further than her opening question "Is God good for you?" and ask "Is God good for the community?"

Gallagher cites studies done by the Heritage Foundation, the University of California and De La Salle Academy, which indicate that churchgoers are happier than the unchurched, with lower rates of depression, higher self-esteem, less drug and alcohol abuse, less involvement in crime, longer and happier marriages, lower blood pressure, higher incomes, less problems with racism, better relationships with parents, and lower rates of childhood pregnancy. Wouldn't we like to see our communities as a whole improve in all these areas?

Gallagher goes on to state that Marx had it wrong when he called religion the opiate of the people. She says that it's more like an amphetamine: "giving the poor (like the rest of us) the faith, courage and optimism they need to fight for the good life."

I see her point, but I think she falls short with her analogy to a drug that gives a quick and unnatural boost of energy followed by a deeper depression. I think a better analogy would be to say that "Religion is the vitamin of the people - it feeds them and provides a healthy, growing environment for individuals and communities."

- Robert Olson

Lancaster

LAPD needs pay parity

I am deeply concerned about the ongoing contractual committee meetings that are discussing the future financial package for the Los Angeles Police Department. As a police officer of some 25 years I have seen my standard of living slowly erode due to increases in the cost of living that have far surpassed the wage structure proffered by the city.

At one point members of our department were the highest paid in the state. Conversely we now rank as one of the lowest.

The general membership of the department is requesting, at minimum, parity with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's personnel who have been economically far beyond us for several years. This has been of significant concern for officers performing the same job function as the deputies across the street, yet receive 15 percent less pay.

Apparently Mayor Richard Riordan does not share the views of the City Council at large, believing that the unusually high rate of attrition is not attributable to economic issues. I definitely do not share his opinion in that I hear officers expressing gross dissatisfaction about the situation on a daily basis.

- Russell Long

Los Angeles

Brazil's image

As reported in the Daily News and elsewhere, Brazilian officials are in an uproar about Michael Jackson shooting a video in Rio de Janeiro. Their concern that filming in a slum neighborhood "will hurt the city's image and undercut tourism."

It has also been a problem for a long time that the poor homeless children living in the streets hurt tourism. So their solution: Brazilian merchants and store owner's hire off-duty police officers to murder these children - God only knows how many.

Now that's an image Brazil should be proud of. I'm sure Adolf Hitler would be.

- Thomas W. Wargo

Van Nuys

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Photo Michael Jackson