As an irresponsible gun owner, I just had to respond to Doug Haney’s take on me and those like me. (“Responsibility and guns,” Feb. 23.)

Assault weapons … did you know the AR-15 has been sold to the public since 1964? Yep. The firearm has remained mostly unchanged since its original design. The rifle isn’t more deadly and hasn’t magically brainwashed thousands of people into becoming killing machines. I have owned numerous variants of the AR-15 since the early 80s. I’m not a hunter. Just not interested. Can you hunt with an AR-15? The media tells us you can’t. Thousands upon thousands of dead coyotes and feral hogs would beg to differ. I target shoot with mine. Yes. I punch holes in paper at long distance and try to put each bullet through the same hole, each time. It’s a work in progress.

Glorifying guns by taking pictures with guns. OK. I guess when I was among the first class of New York State Police Troop B members who successfully completed our AR-15 training, it was irresponsible to take a group pic with our rifles slung (and smoking cigars). Sorry about that. It was a great cigar, though. Politicians posing with firearms or using firearms in political ads? They’re politicians. They pander. They’re trying to buy votes. Even as a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment, I cringe a bit when I see it. However, they’re politicians, which means they are only out to win. That’s why I’m not affiliated with any political party anymore.

Does Mr. Haney have an issue with the movie industry romanticizing gun use, when they portray cops and hoods spraying the streets with indiscriminate gunfire, or when they glorify vigilantism with lots of exotic weaponry thrown in, to make it look cooler? How about video games with extreme violent content that we allow our kids to play for hours on end?

How about parents and schools teaching kids how to properly manage and cope with stress and conflict? Instead, we’re trying to legislate language and behavior, so we don’t have to face stress or conflict. Best of luck with that. There is no such thing as a “safe space.” There are bad people out there. There are rude and nasty people out there. That will never change. Regardless of any law, rule or standard of behavior that society lays down, they will always be there and they will always do bad things.

When I grew up in the 60s, the conflict resolution didn’t involve having my feelings hurt, then getting my hands on a gun or other weapon and laying waste to everyone in my path. It usually involved either learning to suck it up or talk to my parents, who usually gave great counsel. Every once in a while, somebody got popped in the nose and it was over. Still not the right way to resolve an issue, but it wasn’t that extreme. In today’s society, extreme, over-the-top violence seems to be the immediate go-to. Why?

There is no single cause to violence. The guns haven’t changed. They are not more deadly than they were in the early 60s. What has changed? The entertainment industry. They way we raise kids. The “smart phone” hasn’t been a big help. We are more depersonalized than ever. Try holding a face-to-face conversation with someone in their 20s or younger. I’d rather talk to a cat. Not a fan of cats, either. As soon as a child shows signs of being ADD/ADHD, we medicate the hell out of them at a young age. So, now we have changed brain chemistry and structure, starting at a young age. Then, we bombard them with hyper-violent video games, hyper-violent movies, and we leave them with that rectangular little box to entertain themselves for hours a day, every day. Then, instead of teaching proper stress management and conflict resolution, we try to insulate them from hurtful and upsetting things. I see all the ingredients for a societal disaster, which is what we now have.

I agree that responsible gun owners have a duty to be safe, responsible and not glorify violence. Keep all firearms locked up and unavailable to unauthorized/unsafe people. Be an example of what a safe and responsible gun owner is. Gun ownership is kind of like religion, politics and sexuality. It’s personal and private. You’re also not going to change the mind of anyone who is in opposition to your position. What we can do is raise our kids right, serve as positive examples of how to be and who to be and reject the glorification of extreme violence by Hollywood and big-tech. Be nice, do nice and understand we can disagree without turning to violence. I have carried a gun on my belt (in public) for over 42 years and have owned what many call assault weapons for nearly 40. As irresponsible as I am, I have yet to use my firearms to settle an issue. That’s also the case with the overwhelming majority of legal gun owners. To paint us with such a large brush and with the same color, is irresponsible and totally wrong.

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Frank Whitelaw is a former certified NRA firearms instructor and retired New York State Police member. He lives in Bloomingdale.