DEAR ABBY: I need to know how I can legally get rid of a military .45-caliber handgun that I have had since I was in the U.S. Army back in 1943. It was issued to me prior to my being shipped overseas.

When I was discharged, the parachute and most of the other equipment I had been issued was requisitioned back by the military, but no mention was ever made of the gun, or the 1 1/2 clips of ammunition that I still possess. (In all of this time, I have never fired the gun.)

I want to return the gun to the government, but I don't want to find myself in hot water for having possessed it all this time as a civilian. Since the gun is plainly marked "U.S. Property," I am wondering if my civilian possession of it all these years may have somehow been illegal ever since my discharge. -- WONDERING IN SAN JOSE

DEAR WONDERING: According to Sherry Lawrence of the Personnel Command Public Affairs Office of the Army, the failure of the military to reclaim the weapon at the time of your discharge was probably the result of a paperwork slip-up.

Because the weapon is old and probably has not been maintained, it may be a safety hazard.

Call your local police department and explain that you have a weapon from World War II that needs to be safely disposed of. They will either advise you to bring it in, or offer to pick it up.

I advise you not to handle it -- lock it up until you either deliver it to the local police or they pick it up. Peace of mind is only a telephone call away.

DEAR ABBY: Recently we had a devastasting fire in the East Bay hills of Berkeley and Oakland. There were many lives lost -- people and animals injured, and countless homes destroyed.

In the days after the fire, the San Francisco Chronicle printed stories of personal loss. Those who were able to escape from their homes with a few personal treasures mentioned that they grabbed photographs! This brought to mind that perhaps one of the best things family and friends of those who have lost their homes can do is to go through their own personal photo collections and choose photos to give the family who has sustained this tragic loss.

Negatives can be made from photographs, and perhaps some of the local film developers could offer a discount on the process for this particular group of individuals. It would be a small way to give people back parts of their lives. -- SYLVIA CLONINGER, BELMONT, CALIF.

DEAR SYLVIA: Only a person with a generous heart would have thought of the above. Take a bow, Sylvia!

DEAR ABBY: Can you stand one more letter about tattoos?

The only difference between tattooed people and non-tattooed people is: Tattooed people don't care if you're not tattooed. -- TOM THE TATTOOED TYPESETTER, SEATTLE

Most teen-agers do not know the facts about drugs, AIDS, and how to prevent unwanted pregnancy. It's all in Abby's updated, expanded booklet, "What Every Teen Should Know." To order, send a business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: Our daughter, "Naomi," who is 8 years old, has been taking piano lessons for three years. In recent months she seems to have lost interest in the piano, and it's a struggle to get her to practice. I usually lose my temper, and she ends up in tears.

I finally gave up trying to force her to practice. My theory is that unless she is motivated by her own desire to learn, it's not worth the hassle -- not to mention the money we're wasting on lessons.

My husband disagrees. He thinks we should make Naomi practice no matter how much she hates it. I should also mention that our son, "David," who is now 13, was allowed to quit taking violin lessons three months ago because of his many school obligations, plus making the football team -- which his father wholeheartedly approved of.

Naomi is angry. She can't understand why we let her brother quit his music lessons, but we are not allowing her to quit.

What do you think, Abby? If you have a solution my husband will listen to, perhaps we can have some peace in this house. -- FIGHTING IN FLORIDA

DEAR FIGHTING: Assuming that David started taking violin lessons when he was 5, he has had eight years of music lessons. In order to treat both children equally, Naomi should take music lessons for another five years.

Don't give up so easily. Tell Naomi she may quit when she's 13, if she wants to.

For what it's worth, I have had numerous letters from readers saying they were forced to take music lessons and they hated it at the time, but later on, they were glad they weren't allowed to quit when they begged to.

However, readers have never written to say they regretted getting a musical education -- even though they often practiced with tears in their eyes.

DEAR ABBY: Thank you for suggesting that licking envelopes and postage stamps is unsanitary, then recommending a damp sponge instead. Right on.

Many years ago, when I was living in a college dormitory, I noticed that my postage stamps were not sticking to the envelopes no matter how much I licked them. Then I discovered that cockroaches were eating the glue off the stamps! With everyone in the dorm getting cookies from home, it was impossible to rid the dorm of roaches.

Now that I have my own home and am confident that it is free of bugs, I lick without worrying. -- JOHN WAYLAND, WACO, TEXAS

DEAR JOHN: Better keep your tongue in your mouth. I learned the hard way that storing those brown paper grocery sacks is not a good idea. The glue on the sacks attracts not only cockroaches, but mice and rats, too. (Sorry if I spoiled your breakfast.)

People are eating them up! For Abby's favorite recipes, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)

DEAR ABBY: Something wonderful has happened to my family, and I want to share it with you and your readers.

I have had cable TV in my home for five years. I have four children -- all in grade school -- and there was a constant battle about which TV channel to watch, as we had only one set, which was in the living room. The kids would sit there after school changing the channel every two minutes and not watching anything special.

I finally got sick of the squabbling and called the cable company and told them I wanted no more cable TV in my house. The kids were upset with me, but after a couple of days, they didn't miss it at all. Now for the good part:

It's been a year since I returned my cable box, and the children's grades have improved dramatically. They are now reading in their spare time instead of watching the boob tube, and my husband has started to talk to me!

We still enjoy TV, but now we rent tapes of the movies we want to see instead of watching whatever is available on TV.

I wish someone had written a letter like this one for me to see. I hope this helps someone else.

Love you, Abby. Please never retire! -- BEV IN WORCESTER, MASS.

DEAR BEV: I hope your letter inspires others to follow your sensible example. And who said anything about retiring? I promise to stay at this typewriter as long as my fingers, and mind, can do the job.

DEAR ABBY: We were married four months ago. (My husband and I paid for the wedding ourselves.) We also hired the best photographer in town, and were very happy with the results. His bill for all the pictures was $800.

My problem is my new mother-in-law. As soon as we got our wedding pictures, I dropped them off at her house so she could review them and decide which ones she wanted to order. I stopped by her house every weekend to get her decision, and she said, "I haven't had time to look at them yet."

Now she says she is sure she gave them back to me. When I assured her that she did not, she said she must have misplaced them, but she was sure they were "somewhere around the house."

Abby, as of now, the pictures have not turned up. My husband and I have argued about this, and I say his mother should replace them. I need your advice. -- ANGRY AND IMPATIENT

DEAR ANGRY: Since your mother-in-law is sure that the wedding pictures are "somewhere around the house," ask if you and her son may come over and help her look for them. If she is agreeable, and your search proves fruitless, accept the fact that they are gone.

Of course she should replace them. If she refuses, and you want the wedding pictures, you will have to replace them yourselves.

Everything you'll need to know about planning a wedding can be found in Abby's booklet, "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." To order, send a long, business-size, self-addressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, Ill. 61054. (Postage is included.)