First of all, let me clarify my own position on the topic of bearing arms. I believe it is the right of individuals to possess the means to defend themselves and those around them. Therefore, I would oppose a law that would seek to limit an individual’s right to own a firearm. That said, with freedom comes responsibility. That includes keeping guns locked up, and safely out of the hands of children.
As reported in the media, on August 11, a bizarre incident occurred in my home state of New Hampshire. A man, with a gun strapped to his leg, showed up at the health care rally in Portsmouth where President Obama was speaking. Although the action appeared to be a menacing gesture, the individual could not be arrested, as the gun was in plain sight. Were he carrying a concealed weapon, without a permit, then he could have been removed from the area by the police.
In another recent incident, a man was walking up and down a local street, carrying a very large knife. Again, he had committed no crime, and could not be arrested. No one knew why he was engaging in this strange and alarming behavior. Although he may have been mentally-disturbed, and seemed to be so, he could not be arrested until he actually committed a crime.
Both incidents did not result in violence, and that is a blessing!
A society is in trouble when only certain officials control and have all the weapons. To me, that situation would be akin to living in a Communist state. Whether someone carries a gun, or a knife, or even a club, they do have the right to do so, as much as the community does not like the idea.
In actuality, I am more offended by the perpetual violent scenes in movies, than I am when I hear that someone has shot an intruder in his own home. I am more perturbed by the exchange of semi-automatic weapons (assault weapons) among criminals that potentially find their way into the hands of drug dealers.
As much as we’d like to feel safe in our communities, television shows often depict true events with fatal outcomes that prove what can happen to the unwary. In one instance, a woman was murdered by someone as she slept in her home, after continually bragging that she felt so safe, she never locked the door.
Of course, it’s not a cool idea to think of shooting anyone, and it goes without saying that the decision would have to be a last resort.
Military men who must kill or be killed, in time of war, most likely struggle with having had to kill another human being. Whenever I think of things like that, I recall the My Lai incident in Vietnam where a whole village, consisting of old people and children, was brutally-slain and ravaged by U.S. military subordinates who acted under orders of a commanding officer. The report of what happened was the most disturbing of the entire war. Their actions must have haunted the soldiers, resulting in “flashbacks” for the rest of their lives.
Self-protection is a good idea. The Biblical injunction states: “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
However, even a confirmed pacifist and church-goer, like the celebrated war hero, Sgt. Alvin York, who fought Germans in France during World War I, was able to come around to the notion that, in war, those who want to remain “peaceful” are the same guys who stand a good chance of losing their own lives.
As we face more and more government interventions that could affect our daily lives, some of them based on Socialist principles, we should try to retain the basic rights that are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and our Founding Fathers. One valued concept is “the right to keep and bear arms.”
You are welcome to disagree, on any grounds you wish, and if so, I’d appreciate your thoughts. Please leave a comment on this blog, or write to me directly at:
pat@quiltersmuse.com
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
