Opinion: Gun-Grabbing Opportunists
by Pete Lucas, a contributing author:
For the record, I am the proud owner of several guns. I have handguns, rifles, and shotguns. I’m also registered to carry a concealed handgun in both Kansas and Pennsylvania (where my inlaws live).
I also live in Johnson County, one of the safest places to live on the planet.
So why, you may ask, do I have guns and concealed carry permits?
I’m glad you asked. First and foremost, I own guns and have concealed carry permits because it’s my constitutional right to do so. The founding fathers found gun ownership so important that they put it into the documents that charter our great country. They must have had good reasons, don’t you think?
Historically speaking, gun ownership was important to include in the constitution because the founding fathers feared that unchecked government could evolve into a tyranny. In fact, they felt that evolving towards tyranny was the natural course of things. An armed populace is the perfect way to prevent this from happening, and in every country where dictators have sprung up, the first thing that happened was private citizens were stripped of their guns.
Just last year the Supreme Court reaffirmed the fact that the 2nd amendment refers to an individual right, not just a militia. This was an important ruling because it correctly understood the reasons for the 2nd amendment.
The second reason I own guns is for sport. I love to do target shooting. I’m actually a pretty darn good shot with all of my handguns. I enjoy the marksmanship aspect.
Every time a famous person is shot, the gun-grabbing opportunists come out of the woodwork. Most recently, it was Steve McNair of NFL fame. My local sports radio show went on a rant about the evils of handguns.
I made the point to the host that a gun is as responsible for shooting someone as his microphone is responsible for doing the radio show. To that he replied that if he cussed on air, they would take the microphone away.
Good point, I say. But would they take ALL microphones away from EVERYONE?! Of course not. That’s reactionary, unfair, and stupid.
We all know that if the good people are forced to give up their guns, the bad people will still keep theirs. I won’t even bother with that argument.
Why do we make up rules to punish the 1% of criminals that end up punishing the 99% of law abiding citizens? If someone drives drunk and kills someone, do we outlaw cars? Do we outlaw alcohol?
You cannot regulate everyone to punish a few bad eggs.
Of course we should have waiting periods. Of course we shouldn’t sell guns to psychologically unstable people. Of course we shouldn’t sell guns to criminals. We should probably have required gun safety courses before you can buy a gun.
We aren’t going to outlaw knives if someone gets stabbed. Let’s stop pretending like guns are the problem and start focusing on the CRIMINALS that are commiting crimes.
Related Posts:
- Pro-gun student group at JCCC
- Rasmussen: 47% Oppose Open-Carry Gun Laws, 41% Favor
- Analysis — Steve Rose backs out of 3rd District race, refuses to substantiate claim of 2:1 favorability ratio among Republicans. Patricia Lightner continues campaign, addresses second amendment
- LA Times — A Supreme Court gunfight: A Chicago gun-control case will hinge on the 14th Amendment and the Bill of Rights.
- Jack Cashill on Rusty Humphries tonight
Tags: 2nd amendment, gun control, guns, steve mcnair
July 7th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Not that I disagree with your stance, but the right to bear arms was NOT baked into the original charter of the country (The US Constitution). It was actually part of a set of amendments (the first 10, otherwise known as the Bill of Rights), which were ratified two years after the Constitution was law.