Angry Woman's Response By NEAL KNOX NEW BERN, N. Carolina (Thanksgiving Day) -- Sprawled back thankful for too much turkey and trimmings at my daughter and son- in-law's New Berne House Inn, and thankful to be visiting them (even if I do have blisters from the continuing restoration of this fine old place), I'm also thankful that instead of writing this column, I can just reprint part of a letter responding to an anti- gun tirade in "The Spectator," a Raleigh newspaper: --- "Mr. Spectator: "I cannot believe you devoted an entire page to the illogical babblings of Executive Editor Hal Crowther's innaccurate and ridiculous stance on gun control. "As a responsible businesswoman, strong supporter of individual rights, and Spectator advertiser, I resent being labeled 'belligerent, illogical, unhinged, mentally unstable, beyond reason and danger' simply because I am rational enough to realize that criminals don't obey gun laws. "I further resent his outrageous attempt to connect my right to own a handguns with the police forces' inability to control drug traffic. Does Mr. Crowther, or any reasonably intelligent person, serious believe that these criminals will obey gun laws, and only break the drug laws? Who's being irrational? "If the police can't keep criminals from smuggling drugs into this country, how could they keep illegal guns out? "The police wouldn't be so frustrated if their efforts weren't undermined by lenient judges and sleazy defense attorneys putting criminals back on the streets within hours of their arrest. "As for Mr. Crowther's unfortunate friend, I'm sorry the man was shot, but I question the judgement of a man who routinely picks up "briefcases full of cash" late at night, yet fails to protect himself with a gun. "And it's ludicrous to suggest that the Brady amendment would have prevented the crime. Statistically, the chances are that the gun was stolen. "The reason that crime is rampant in our cities is that offenders are not punished. "Considering John Hinckley Jr.'s lenient treatment, I have often wondered why Sarah Brady hasn't spent her time promoting crime control, stiff penalties and mandatory sentences for would- be assassins. "The Brady amendment, ironically enough, would have had no impact on the shooting of President Reagan and James Brady. "Regardless of Mr. Crowther's misleading statistics, the majority of Americans believe that in a free society law-abiding citizens have a right to own a gun for protection. A waiting period is simply an expensive, bureaucratic inconvenience to the law-abiding and has no effect on criminals. "Criminals don't have waiting periods, because criminals ignore gun laws, just like they ignore other laws. They obtain their guns illegally. "I have never been a member of the NRA. I simply believe, like millions of Americans, that personal freedom and liberty cannot be guaranteed in a society without private gun ownership; just ask the people of Poland. "Furthermore, there has never been any instance, anywhere in the world where a gun law has reduced crime; not in England, not in Japan, not in the United States. I challenge Mr. Crowther to research his subject before writing his next article. "Let's start laying the blame where it belongs, on the criminals, not on the law-abiding gun owners. "Shan K. Wilkins" --- Note to Readers from a proud papa: The "K." stands for Knox.