I have behaved for eleven months. It was only a matter of time. This month’s installment will not make a lot of friends. That is okay. I am not writing this column to extend my friendship base, but rather to enlighten my readers and possibly offer food for thought. Before you line the bottom of your parakeet cage with this month’s article, read the entire article – that’s all I ask. We can still be friends when all is said and done, even if we disagree.
Driving a car, at least in the state of Pennsylvania, is a privilege, extended to you and me by our gracious government. It is not a guarantee that you may drive your car on the highways of our commonwealth. One must pass a driver’s test, be physically fit enough to operate said vehicle and maintain auto insurance, inspection, etc. One must obey the state’s traffic code while operating a vehicle. At any time, one’s driving privileges may be rescinded for violating portions of the law. In essence, that privilege to drive may be withdrawn.
The right to keep and bear arms is exactly that – a right. As stated in the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, the first ten amendments are guaranteed and spelled out clearly. If you have not read them or have not explored them since eighth grade civics, I’d advise revisiting the Bill of Rights before proceeding. Much of what I am going to cover is clarified with some Constitutional backgrounding. Items like freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process, are vaguely familiar to us as United States citizens. However, many folks want what they want, and they won’t let a little thing like constitutional rights get in the way. My old football coach used to say that any time someone starts a conversation by saying, “Well all I know is…” then that’s usually all they know.
Rights are non-negotiable. They are protected by and within the Constitution. It is not easy to change the Constitution, nor should it be. It is rigid to a point and should not be overturned by whim of a few when public opinion sways or media outlets cry for change, see “justice.”
Free speech is closely guarded in America because it is important to have the right to express one’s opinion, even if it is not especially popular. When that right is infringed upon, we are all in danger of becoming victims of governmental control. Now think of the Second Amendment. All the amendments are clearly laid out and meant to be a blanket protection, whether we like all of what they stand for. I’ll speak more of the right to keep and bear arms shortly.
I use the topic of flag burning as an example because it hits near and dear to a lot of us. I hate seeing the American flag burned. Period. It is for that same reason that I do not think it constitutional to outlaw flag burning. It is a slippery slope. It starts with the prohibition of burning the flag and eventually creeps into the fabric of every other tenet of our system of government. What we don’t like, we forbid. Flag burning is a form of free speech. It is not an exception to the rule but rather the unfortunate reality of the rule. If you think it could never happen, look at what is no longer legal or at least acceptable to say in public these days as compared to a few years back. If you think it can’t continue at such an alarming rate, then your head maybe in the sand.
I’ll close with “common sense.” I hear a lot of folks saying that they are in favor of common-sense gun control. My question is, “Whose common sense will we be using?” I’ll stick with the protections offered by the Constitution. I have visited the department of motor vehicles often enough to know that I don’t want my right to keep and bear arms doled out by the likes of the DMV and such.
While I think everyone should have some firearms training in handling, carrying or usage of weaponry, I do not believe it should be mandated by the government. Rights are not a privilege and should not be doled out like permits and licenses by a bureaucrat, at their discretion. The right to keep and bear arms is a right. The second amendment is not about protection from things that go bump in the night, but rather as the means to defend ourselves and our country from tyranny; in other words, to keep the government in check. It is the core fabric of what makes us truly American. God bless our republic and Merry Christmas!