There is something raging in Washington currently, and I’m
not referring to Chris Matthews’ feelings for President Obama. I’m referring to
the battle on gun control. Following the recent wave of gun-related violence,
particularly the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, most Liberals and even
some Moderates are calling for stricter gun control laws, up to and including
the banning of all private gun ownership. There are a couple problems with
this, though.
First, we have the Constitution, specifically the Second
Amendment. According to Archives.gov, this amendment reads thus: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,
shall not be infringed. This means the government cannot by law take away
private gun ownership. It can be restricted, certainly, and monitored, but not
taken away.
Just for clarification, since this seems to be something
many people are fuzzy on, Dictionary.com defines a militia as “a body
of citizen
soldiers as
distinguished from
professional soldiers”
as well as “a body
of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out
periodically for drill but serving full time
only in emergencies.” This means the National Guard is a militia,
as are the Reserves. Are these men and women required to provide their own
weapons? No. Still, many do own weapons privately. And yes, those people we
read about in the news who call themselves militia are in fact militia by
definition.
“But,”
I hear you cry, “that was back before we had a national military. We don’t need
private militia now, so we don’t need private gun ownership!” True, we don’t
NEED private gun ownership, and true, it was ratified in 1791 before the US had
an official military service. The fact remains that many people still hunt for
food to supplement what they buy, or in place of buying meat. It’s not much
different from those who go fishing and eat what they catch, just on a bigger
scale.
“Okay,”
I hear you now saying, “but you don’t need automatic weapons to go hunting!”
Again, true. And I’m opposed to using automatic guns for hunting. I find it
unsporting. Also, you run the risk of doing more damage to the animal and
having less usable meat. Still, who am I to force others to live by my choices?
For that matter, who are you to force others to live by your choices?
“But,” you now declare, “what about all those
people, especially children, who are killed by guns? We must do something about
it!” Must we? Timothy McVeigh killed 19 children under the age of 6, and didn’t
use a gun. He used fertilizer and a rented truck. Those are still legal, just
restricted. Anything can be used as a weapon. How many children are killed by
drunk drivers each year? Yet driving isn’t illegal, only doing so while drunk
or otherwise influenced.
The
guns are not the problem. How they are used is the problem. Once upon a time
you could walk into any gun store or pawn shop and walk out with a gun and
ammunition. Then restrictions were put in place requiring a 3 day wait before
one could purchase a gun. I have no problem with this. Odds are if you think
you need a gun immediately, you’re probably better off without it. Yes, I know,
there are cases where immediate self-defense is needed. I’m not arguing that.
If you’re being abused, you should be able to defend yourself. I’m merely
saying that in most cases a gun is not needed immediately.
I
also have more respect for the US military than to think they would blindly
follow orders to turn on the very citizens they are sworn to defend. I know it
has happened in other countries, and it is not outside the realm of
possibility. However, I believe it is highly unlikely that the GI’s and other
regular military personnel will follow those orders. I don’t believe we will
need to defend ourselves from the grunts as much as we need to defend ourselves
from the politicians and those in power who never see the front lines. Most of
us are familiar with the concept of management making decisions based on what
looks good on paper regardless of how practical it is in application. The same
principle would apply here.
When
all is said and done, however, I still believe we as United States citizens
have the right given to us by our founding fathers to own guns privately. I do
agree there are some who should not have them, but who gets to decide? Do we
say you can’t have one if you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness? What
about those who are never diagnosed, or misdiagnosed? Taking away the right to
bear arms opens the door for the removal of other rights, such as the right to
not suffer unreasonable search and seizure, or the right to freedom of speech.
Rather than blithely take away this right, perhaps a bit more restraint should
be used by those in charge, and a bit more logic and common sense. We have laws
in place. Making new ones won’t force those who break laws to suddenly follow
the new ones. It only affects those of us who try to follow the existing laws.
So before overreacting, stop and think. If you don’t agree with gun ownership,
fine. Don’t own one. But who are you to take away my right to own one?
1 comment:
Good Job. Well done!!
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