JANE Crawford (Letters, December 19) is quite right to argue that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution does provide that a "well-regulated militia" is required to qualify gun ownership.

However, a little homework would have shown that this is itself meaningless when a consistently spineless, or worse, Republican-leaning Supreme Court is making the decisions on constitutionality.

The militia clause has been roundly ignored by the Supreme Court of the US on numerous occasions. As recently as 2008, in DC v Heller, Justice Scalia said the Second Amendment "protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home". It will take a massive effort to effect real change against the rampant political interests controlling America's destiny.

Jim Lewis,

8B Belmar Court, Linwood.

JANE Crawford seeks to equate Scotland's intemperate drinking habits with a substantial number of her fellow Americans' frequently-fatal obsession with the right to gun ownership and their use.

There is another extremely important comparison between the two countries that Ms Crawford might well consider.

For all its faults, with restrictions on licensing hours and introduction of a minimum pricing policy the Scottish Government has had the courage, whilst flirting with electoral unpopularity, to face down the drinks industry in an attempt to get to grips with our country's admittedly severe alcohol problem.

I would respectfully suggest to Ms Crawford that hell will freeze over before any US administration has the either the gumption or guts to take on America's gun lobby or electorate on the matter of meaningful firearms control.

Tom O'Neill,

26 Westcliff, Dumbarton.

Jane Crawford writes that the right to drink alcohol is far too deeply ingrained in the Scottish psyche and seems to compare the availability of alcohol in UK supermarkets with ammunition for sale in US supermarkets and the American right to bear arms.

I would pefer to be faced with a homicidal maniac armed with a bottle of Buckfast than with a Kalashnikov ak47 or any other firearm.

Come to think of it, there seemed to be a lot of shooting during the Prohibition years in the US.

R Russell Smith,

96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.

Jane Crawford tries unsuccessfully to bracket American gun laws with Scottish alcohol consumption.As far as I'm aware you can't murder a classful of primary kids with a bottle of superlager.

David Paton,

1 Carronvale Road, Larbert.