No one can accuse the guns-rights lunes of lacking energy or
a willingness to protest for their views on how the Second Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution should be read because on Saturday, around 150 of them “rallied”
outside of the Virginia State Capitol to support the rights of gun owners.[1]
Those who came to Richmond to support gun-owner rights
walked the perimeter of the Capitol Square in a symbolic gesture of their vigor
and ability to…walk.
The rally comes on the heels of President Barack Obama’s
supposedly “sweeping” proposals for gun control. The proposals include
reinstating the assault weapons ban; restoring a 10-round limit on ammunition
clips; stopping the sale of armor-piercing bullets; allocating funds to hire
more police officers; and more.[2]
In effect, it’s every Rambo wannabes worst nightmare.
At the rally on Saturday, the Richmond Times Dispatch
reported that some in attendance included guns rights supporters from
Arlington, Glen Allen, Fishersville, and others.[3]
In the Times report, a woman attending the rally is quoted
as saying, “If they had caught me, I would not be here.” The woman was referring
to a time when she was a college student and her car broke down in a “bad
neighborhood” and she was forced to run from potential attackers. But this
story is a red herring and illustrative of the type of messaging that
guns-rights groups like the NRA and its followers have used to goad Americans
into their corner.
President Obama’s proposals, to be factual, have little to
do with all guns. They have a lot to do with so-called “assault weapons.” Did
the woman that was quoted above need an assault weapon to fend off her potential
attackers? No, unless I’m missing something in the story.
This isn’t to argue that I wholeheartedly agree with
restrictions being placed on assault weapons. Granted, I do not see what
purpose they serve besides killing masses of people, but I don’t wish to delve
into that debate at this point in time.
It is to argue, however, that if Americans are entitled to
assault weapons via the Second Amendment, Americans are also entitled to clean
air, clean water, and a government that isn’t indifferent to global warming and
its effects in order to ensure the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness! That
is, individuals who interpret the Second Amendment as giving Americans the
right to buy and own assault weapons are undertaking a form of “legislative
creep” whereby the laws of the land gradually become broader and broader in
their interpretations on the side of more rights for individuals.
This could be a great thing, but it could also just as
easily not be.
[1] http://www.nbc12.com/story/20630914/gun-rights-advocates-rally-at-va-capitol
[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/obama-gun-control-proposals_n_2486919.html
[3] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/latest-news/gun-rights-advocates-rally-at-va-capitol/article_174a71d2-626e-11e2-b845-001a4bcf6878.html
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