"To generalise, I have always found women like their curtains, carpets and fancy knickers, men have the same desire for guns" says one of your readers (Letters, October 29).

True both there and here in the US. The difference, however, is that 11,000-plus people are murdered here using guns. None, to the best of my knowledge, are murdered using curtains or carpets; there could be a few strangled with fancy knickers, but I don't think it's a big problem.

Brian A. Jones,

Clinton Street,

Brooklyn, New York.

...STUART Sykes of Blue Moon Trading, Goodramgate, displays worrying social irresponsibility when he attempts to defend introducing the sale of guns, knives, crossbows and other weapons via a ship window in the centre of York and close to the Christian heart of our city (Letters, October 29).

I object to his generalised comments about what men and women like and I can assure him I have spoken with several parents and pet owners in the last two or three weeks who feel his actions can only bring harm and further incidents of violent crime to York. Do you ever wonder Mr Sykes about what can often happen to weapons you seem happy to sell to impressionable, often young people, now that your actions have brought York into the urban gun culture, or do you justify yourself with a bland "Well you can't legislate for idiots"?

Jonathan Bonner, Huntington Road, York.

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, November 02, 2002