Regarding Jennifer Carlson's "Five Myths" about guns [Outlook, April 4]: Ms. Carlson's piece about guns raised important points, but why does it gloss over the role of race in the gun debate, except for a cursory nod to White male conservatives? White maleness is relevant. According to the Pew Research Center, 48 percent of White men own at least one gun, compared with about a quarter of White women and non-White men and 16 percent of non-White women. Given how many guns are in the population, this has to mean White men are the dominant gun-buying group. In addition, the terms "liberal" and "conservative" have very little meaning when it comes to non-White people. African Americans are usually described as "liberal" because they tend to embrace a more aggressive government role in advancing social and economic equity, but it doesn't mean they embrace other "liberal" ideas or even see themselves that way. White reporters seem to have a very hard time naming Whiteness in the context of political behavior, a problem that does not seem to arise when assessing other groups. Race has always been a factor in gun policy in this country, from regulating gun ownership by Native Americans and African Americans to exaggerated fears of Black crime stoked by racists. On the other hand, if gun ownership is promoted as a fixture of White, male identity (patriots), then that has to be acknowledged. I don't see how you move off the stalemate around gun safety without acknowledging that.