‘Unregulated gun ownership impedes democracy
I am a rifle owner, a conscientious hunter and a good marksman. This does not mean that I believe gun ownership is a “human right” as asserted by the politically extreme fringe now represented by our very strange town council. Gun ownership is of an entirely distinct category than the right to free speech, a fair trial, voting and all self-evident rights that make democracy possible.
Unregulated gun ownership impedes democracy.
Firstly, there is no possibility for freedom without security. There is no greater threat to our personal security than the absurd interpretation of the Second Amendment that is contributing to the gun violence currently plaguing us. The so-called “right to bear arms” stands in direct contradiction to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It puts all of our lives at risk (especially police), it restricts our liberty to enjoy public space, and it makes us a paranoid, timid and alienated society that is far from happy.
A constitutional amendment is hardly a religious relic to be worshiped without critical judgment. The amendment was addressing the threat of slave revolts, French invasion, bandits and Indian raids that faced frontier settlers two centuries ago.
If an amendment proves itself dysfunctionally outdated - as the recent massacres prove - it is only reasonable to get rid of it. Gun ownership should be a “privilege” that is earned through testing and licensure - not a “right” possessed by any incompetent nincompoop.
We do not have a right to operate a car, heavy machinery or an airplane. One must first prove competence with these potentially dangerous technologies. These privileges are “well regulated.” Gun use must be “well regulated” though a system of testing equivalent to that undergone by police and military recruits. Even then, all guns should be stored in a local police locker to ensure security from theft or accidental misuse by untrained people or minors. People judged competent would, of course, still have access to guns for hunting or the sport of marksmanship.
To argue that ownership of military assault weapons”protects” us from our government would mean by extension that private citizens should also be entitled to personal possession of combat tanks, drones and nuclear weapons.
Where is the cut-off point? Bear in mind that it is actually a declaration of outright treason to speak of bearing arms against our government - a remarkably self-contradictory assertion from flag-waving NRA members who hide behind the hypocritical veneer of “super patriotism.”
The entire Warwick town council demonstrated extremely poor judgment on Feb. 14 when they aligned our town with the political agenda of the NRA - an organization that in the last 30 years has degenerated into a far-right fringe of uncompromising gun worshipers. This gun cult is far outside of the mainstream of American values. By revealing themselves as NRA gun cultists who prioritize unregulated gun ownership over the security of ourselves and our children, I now actually doubt our council’s competence to govern.
Similarly, I also doubt the integrity of Anne Rabbit whose loyalty to the NRA lobby supersedes her commitment to our security. Next election day, let’s elect representatives of sound judgment who have our security as their top priority.
James Morley
Warwick