The right to bear arms
I’ve always believed that it’s every American’s right to own a gun. I believed it when I was young and impressionable and I believe it now. I currently own a gun and have a concealed weapons permit to carry it. But my reasons for owning a gun now are far different than when I was young.
I’ve never trusted government. When I was a young man I always thought that we might need to take control of our own destiny to protect ourselves from our government. (Of course that was silly and stupid, but that’s the way I felt.)
When I read that the Declaration of Independence says its our responsibility to overthrow a government when it no longer meets our needs, I wanted to have that option. And, while I was not in favor of the armed overthrow of the government – – I never thought it was out of the realm of possibility.
All my life, I never owned a gun. I’d spent enough time in the military to know that I really didn’t want a gun around the house. But, I wanted the right to have one.
And, then, a decade ago, came an effort by some sections of our country to ban the legal possession of firearms – – something that continues to this day. That got me thinking about the “right” to own a gun. I didn’t make the move to do so until recently. When I began to age and found my physical prowess declining I thought a gun would help me feel more secure.
Because I have 14 grandkids, I feel obligated to keep my little pistol locked up and out of sight, so it really wouldn’t be much use to me if I really needed it. It’s just the idea that it is there.
I do own a gun. I still think it’s every American’s right to own a gun. And, I think the decision to do so rests with the individual and not with the government.
Recent mass killings around this country have me wondering if maybe if one person had a gun, in that school, in that movie theater or in that supermarket, if maybe the body count would have been less.
Posted in Government, History, Local Politics, The Real News