What an open-minded and decent (not to mention well-written) op-ed piece about Mr. Heston.

If all sides of any debate were this decent, I think all of our politics would be much more productive and pleasant.

Izaak Berezovsky, New York City, USA

We the people are the REGULATORS spoken of in the second amendment. The founding fathers opposed, feared, fought and died at the hands of standing armies. They sought to regulate the standing militia. Trusting in the individual and fearing governments.

Charles Martel, washington, dc

Frank Upton:

The key as to what "the right to keep and bear arms" protects is understanding what was meant by "arms." Arms typically carried and used by a militia - which is an organization of "the people" - are the "arms" protected by the 2A. All this modern nonsense about "sporting purpose" came from the debates on 1960's gun legislation. The court in Miller clearly said that military-style weapons were protected. History shows this means infantry-style light arms, such as rifles, carbines and sidearms; not field artillery. I don't think any reasonable person argues for an individual right to own an M1 Abrams or nuclear warhead. But rifles, shotguns, pistols, hell yes.

And to Steve Stevenson - speaking as a NJ native who left that liberal wasteland after 35 years, you have no clue what your'e talking about. What do you think a "militia" is? Who makes up the militia, and how is it armed? Go back to colonial history 101 and read up a bit more.

Bill, Richmond, VA, USA

art, new orleans: do some homework. Hume says gun ownership rates are higher. The gun ownership rate (percentage of the population who own guns) approaches 50%. The gun ownership rate in the US (60 million registered guns, 300 million residents) is around 20%.

.. huh? there are estimated 260 - 280 million guns in the USA, 1 per adult capita, where'd you get 60 million? just reg'd?
.. about 45% of all the guns in the WORLD are in the USA.

.. what you write is physically impossible (if estimates are correct)... 7.6 million swiss & estimated 2 to 3.4 million swiss guns, so if guns were singularly distributed it would be about 40% gun ownership but many swiss own more than one gun..
.. I do retract that US has double the gun ownership rate, I think it's a bit higher but US households have ~50% higher gun ownership rates, something like 40% US households have guns to 27% for the swiss.
.. I think a new 2007 law, swiss assault rifle ammo must be kept in an armory, not at home.

Jimmy the One, wilkes barre, Pennsylvania

In 1949, Charlton Heston starred in "Battleship Bismark" on CBS Studio One. My father, 23 at the time, played the ship's radio operator, and had a few scenes with Mr. Heston. Fifty years later, my teenage son attended a play in London and met Charlton Heston backstage afterward. At the time, my son was unaware of the connection to his grandfather, but he later wrote to Charlton Heston and received a warm letter in reply, along with an autographed photo. In his letter, Mr. Heston remembered my dad and spent a little while discussing how different live TV was in those days. Quite a letter for a teenager to receive.

Charlton Heston was pleased to know that my son and I, as well as my wife and daughter, are life members of the National Rifle Association.

Renfield, Hopewell Twp NJ, USA

Mick (or Mike)--

You're saying: Heston's views were as moldy as his films, but we, as liberals, should admire his conviction!

Many of us, as movie lovers, lend the same sentiment to his films. Heston brought joy to millions with his performances, and still does.

I guess what I'm saying is: "Stiff??" Boldly spoken for a British guy.

Jedsen, Topeka, Kansas

Your article is powerful because it is simple, logical and borne by empirical evidence. The trick or treasure of any good journalist (or actor or politician) is to make the complex straightforward and the unsure clear. Charlton Heston was consistent in his views and values - he didnt change with the times because his values were ground in fundamentals. Yes, violence is wrong - but he served in the greatest conflict to date to defeat tyranny; yes censorship is stupid - but he defended the right of policeofficers to be free from debasement in popular music; yes religious dogma can be suffocating - but he sought to balance private faith with public interest; and finally racism and selectivity in politics are wrong, but Mr Heston was right to march against racism and constitutional vandalism.

Noel Hadjimichael, Sydney, Australia

Charlton Heston was a great citizen of America and greatly admired throughout the world. He actually believed what he professed, and he was not timid in expressing those beliefs and principles which guided him. He achieved spectacular success as an actor and as a leader in the public forum. It is, indeed, a shame that some of those who might not have admired him politically or professionally feel constrained to cruelly and uselessly demean him while his devoted wife freshly grieves her loss. May his contributions be remembered and admired by many generations yet to come. And, as was stated by Pharoh's son in reference to Moses, the character so memorably portrayed by Heston in "The Greatest Story Ever Told: "So let it be written, so let it be done."

Louis C. Rosen, Esq., Jersey City, NJ

The problem is not how many people own guns, but WHO owns guns. Prohibitive gun laws, such as the DC Gun Ban, New York's Sullivan Act, etc., discourage law-abiding citizens from owning guns, but don't prevent criminals from obtaining them. This creates the worst of all possible situations - the ONLY people with guns are the people we need to disarm.

In discussing guns, it is important to distinguish between gun violence and gun crime. In the US, if a woman shoots and kills a would-be rapist, she has committed and act of gun violence, but not a gun crime. Few prosecutors would press charges against her (if the gun were legally possessed), and fewer juries would convict..

Carey, Tulsa, OK

Mick, I'm confused. You correctly stated the facts that Israel and Switzerland have higher gun ownership rates but lower homicide rates, while Mexico or the Philippines have tighter gun controls but higher murder rates. But then you go on to refer to the NRA's stance of "more legal guns must mean fewer crime" as a "fear-fuelled fantasy."

The stats you reported on gun ownership in the very same paragraph fully support the NRA's stance. So why do you then call it a fantasy?

James, Austin, TX

The army that King George assembled in the colonies was the greatest fighting force in the world, bar none. It was backed by a Navy capable of moving and supporting a large army anywhere on this planet. But our forefathers understood one thing. Empires can ill afford long drawn out conflicts that tie up resources needed elsewhere. It was not necessary to go toe to toe on a daily basis with the 24th Regiment of Foot , or the Highlanders. It was enough to use small groups of militia to hold them in the colonies when they were needed elsewhere. This military strategy is the basis of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. And it's also a strategy that keeps our government awake at night, they don't like it, but it is required that they accept it.

Michael, Seminole, Florida/ USA

Jimmy the One...read the article and do some homework. Hume says gun ownership rates are higher. The gun ownership rate (percentage of the population who own guns) approaches 50%. The gun ownership rate in the US (60 million registered guns, 300 million residents) is around 20%.

Art, New Orleans,

Right, Frank. 1789. Just as the First Amendment applies only to printing presses, not e-mail or laser printers.

Sarin is illegal for anyone to have, and nobody claims that the Second Amendment applies to nuclear weapons. It does not even apply to fully automatic firearms. The pending Supreme Court decision voiding the total handgun ban in Washington, DC, will probably draw the line on one side of the argument: you can't ban widely owned firearms in common use by law-abiding citizens for defense of home and family. No one expects the court to apply the Second Amendment without limitation.

Walt B, Hopewell Twp NJ, USA

Frank Upton wants to know why the "right to bear arms" does not extend to sarin gas, nuclear weapons, etc.

Rights are not limitless. The "right to freedom of speech" has limits also.

No one has a "right to own or use" sarin gas or nuclear weapons.

Lastly, Americans believe that "rights" are granted by God and guaranteed by the Constitution. Would a "right granted by God" allow for its misuse?

John Sorg, McCordsville, USA/Indiana

I'm so pleased with the civility and respect most posts convey for Mr. Heston. I remember the Easter showings of "The 10 Commandments" growing up. We always looked forward to seeing Moses the prophet portrayed by a powerful actor.

While Michael Moore's approach in Bowling for Columbine can best be likened to a hyena stalking an elder lion, we all know who will be revered, and who forgotten.

Incidentally, I have two 12 gauge shotguns a .270 rifle, a .357 revolver and a .45 automatic handgun. They're locked up, and my children all know how to use them safely, thanks to NRA training courses. Freedom only exists separate from fear.

Charles, Vail, CO

I don't understand why the 'right of the people to keep and bear arms" only extends to certain weapons and apparently excludes, for instance, sarin, artillery or nuclear weapons. Who actually decides what kind of arms can be kept or borne and on what basis? Should it perhaps be restricted to types of arms that existed in 1789?

Frank Upton, Solihull,

Steve Stevenson:

Even liberal law professors like Laurence Tribe concede that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual, not a collective, right. So do even anti-gun politicians B. Hussein Obama and H. Rodham Clinton. In a few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court will reaffirm that individual right. Justice Anthony Kennedy recently pronounced that the right to keep and bear arms is a general right NOT tied to service in a militia.

I live in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. I own guns. Most people I know own guns. Gun crime here is nonexistent.

In Trenton, a few miles to the south, Bloods and Crips routinely blow each other away—with ILLEGAL guns.

Walt B, Hopewell Twp, NJ

Charlton Heston loved and honored his country, his wife of over 60 years and his children, he was a credit to his profession as head of the Screen Actors Guild, starred in nearly 100 movies also stage and television productions, everything from westerns to Shakespeare. Marched with Dr Martin Luther King in many dangerous situations before it was fashionable to do so and unlike so many of our politicians and Presidential hopefuls had the guts and integrity to stand up for what he believed in, My sympathy to his family for their (and our) loss, may he rest in peace.

John Deehan, whitby. Ontario., canada

Mick Hume clearly demonstrates a lack of in depth knowledge of the gun issue, for he cites several misconceptions.

Hume on heston: But defending the right of Americans to bear arms was consistent with [heston's] earlier defence of black civil rights.

.. charlton heston was once (circa 1968) a strong gun control supporter, citing the laxity of america's gun control laws as a reason behing her rising murder rate, & he noted how countries like UK with stricter gun control had far lesser murder rates (I will post a link when I get to my home computer).

hume writes: .. Israel & Switzerland have higher gun ownership rates but lower homicide rates...

.. switzerland does not have higher gun ownership rates than the US, I think america's is roughly twice the swiss, & switzerland has strong gun control laws, as much an argument for gun control as for guns galore.
.. US has approx 260 million guns, switzerland has about 3 million, enough said, hume?

Jimmy the One, Wilkes Barre , PA USA

First, our Founding Fathers recognized that our rights came from God NOT from the Government.

Second, the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights applies to the people NOT the Government. These are rights guaranteed to the people. The 2nd Amendment thus applies to the people not a militia or a government. It is an individual right NOT a collective right.

Thank you Mr Heston for all that you have done to advocate for the individual and his rights.

Anthony Sestito, Reynoldsburg, Ohio/USA

Men and women admired and respected Charlton Heston, while miksops and hysterics hated and feared him.

As is currently the case with President Bush.

Doug Welty, Arlington, Virginia

Mr. Heston's constancy of principle predictably made him a target for politically fashionable people, but I think it will afford him a much more favorable memory than, say, Michael Moore's. Like all fashions, the political one changes. People who simply follow fashion will, as always, follow the trend, thinking themselves very smart. Individuals of style and principle, like Mr. Heston, have no need for any of it. He was a principled person who arrived at his own conclusions and defended them under heavy attack. Not many reading this can say as much, I would bet.

As a citizen of Boston, one of the most "liberal" cities in America, I see attitudes (both sincere and fashion-following) changing, even here. As anyone following national politics can see clearly, the right is changing, and the left is changing; both, I hope and believe, are trending back toward the core American values of individual rights, individual value, and individual trust. Mr. Heston never forgot those values.

Kevin, Boston, Massachusetts

Steve Stevenson-

The problem with your interpretation is that the bill of rights reserved rights that existed at the time. It was not the government handing out rights, it was a promise by the government to respect those traditions that existed at common law but were not enumerated in the constitution. Further, the rights in the bill are uniformly individual in nature. Because individuals (as well as militias) had a right to keep and bear arms, the intent was to ensure protection of that individual and group right.

Andrew Basler, Maryville, TN

I was going to write in with exactly the same points Nick has made, but he's put it a lot better. It was never about black civil rights or guns, it was about freedom. Goes to show how 'fuzzy' the political divide can be sometimes.

God bless you Chuck, they never got your guns and we will make sure they never will.

John (NRA member), Bristol, UK

Mick Hume, it is refreshing to read an article that is written from an objective viewpoint, instead of the biased, liberal ones we're all used to. R.I.P. Charles.

Dave Shimko, Lockport, IL, USA

How about you try reading the second amendment? "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

In other words, the second amendment had nothing to do with an individual right to bear arms. It reflected the contemporary debate about the merit of state militias versus a standing army. Suspicious of the latter, the states demanded a right to organise the former. The supreme court has upheld this interpretation - of a right to bear arms only within a regulated militia - every time it has been asked to rule on it.

Doesn't really sound like it has anything in common with civil rights, does it?

Even the NRA, in attempting to strike down gun control legislation, has not sought a second amendment defence. Instead it has relied on other, not directly gun-related, parts of the US constitution.

Steve Stevenson, New Jersey,

Absolute nonsense.

Anthony, London, UK

I for one respected Heston immensely. He was a man's man in a world where being a real man is looked down upon.

I believe that there are many men left in this world of Heston's ilk, and his example will fuel their hearts and stoke their courage to fill the void that his passing has left.

God, country, and freedom, worthy causes to live for; and he did!

Joe, Allentown, PA United States

Charlton Heston's wild-eyed fanaticism against gun-control cannot be supported by inspection of his arguments. While I respect his libertarian stands it is impossible to give credence to an argument that, for example, if the kids at Columbine all had guns, the massacre wouldn't have occurred. That is patent nonsense.

I bellieve that the gun control law introduced after Dunlbaine were ill-thought out and was a childish knee-jerk reaction to a more complex problem; it has achieved nothing. But Heston's standpoint is equally stupid and actually worked against the logical and supportable case for a reasonable but controllable gun-ownership system. His unreasoned stridence worked against the NRA.

The same thing is happening, unfortunately, to the case for understanding Islam. The wild-eyed fanatics make it impossible for a sensible argument to take place in a calm atmosphere.

David Garfield, London, UK

Oh, and Mr Bigelow, a century ago the UK and the US had simillar gun legislation. However our establishment used the fear of bomb throwing anarchists, socialist revolutionaries and sawn-off shotguns in the East End of London, together with the support of our 'man-bites-dog' media, to chip away at our rights until we stand today without the gun freedoms you take for granted. Next time your heading for the game hide, have a chat with your fellow hunters and likely NRA members, instead of fearing them.

John (NRA member), Bristol, UK

As a kid I always remembered his films more than any one else's. I finally saw him in 1997 when he did 'Love Letters' in England.

He spoke after the very moving performance, thanking the audience and apologising for his lack of mobility - he'd had a hip operation. I remember his voice and how it conveyed such depth of feeling and sincerity.

A wonderful actor - what he should really be remembered for.

Mike Williams, Leeds,

What is a 'libertal'? Sounds like a make of Swiss cheese...

Sam, Worcester,

Excellent way to spell it out. I own sporting firearms but am apalled by the fear-mongering of the NRA even though I was a fan of Mr. Heston.

Has Britain become safer since the draconian laws on firearms ownership have come into effect?

Mark Bigelow, North Monmouth, Maine, USA

He was a decent man.

I will never forget Michael Moore ambushing him (he had alzheimers remember) in his movie Bowling for Columbine.

It told us a lot about both men.

Heston was polite and hospitable whilst Moore was just a snide bully - picking on a sick man. How low can you get.

Sadly there are not many left like Heston - civilisation will be the worse for that.

Geoff M, Bromsgrove, England

Yes they were wrong - he was a gracious man who never forgot his fans. I have four letters and a signed photo to prove this !!!!

Ian Payne, WALSALL,