by David Bottomley

"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and the keystone under independence... The rifle and pistol are equally indispensable... The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that is good."

-- George Washington

I firmly believe in the right to bear arms. It is the bedrock of any free government, and in the United States, it is the only right with the power to enforce the others- such as freedom to vote, freedom of the press, etc. The purpose of the Second Amendment is not to ensure hunting, nor for target practice (though I have no problem with either), it's purpose, according to the founding fathers of the US, is to ensure that the populace may always keep the government in check, and consequently the criminal element as well. This is confirmed in the Federalist Papers, and in the words of Jefferson and others when they wrote the Second Amendment- they were very clear as to its purpose. It is incredible to me how many people remain misinformed as to the purpose of the Second Amendment. Common sense, backed up by a myriad of statistics, show that the safest cities, states, and communities are the most armed. When Washington DC banned the private ownership of handguns, the murder rate TRIPLED. Why? Because if the crackheads, robbers, rapists, and murderers know you are unarmed, they know you are helpless to defend yourself and you become a target of crime. The bottom line is that you are responsible for the protection and preservation of yourself and your family. While Police are an excellent deterrent, they cannot be everywhere- and we would not want them everywhere- for that would be a totalitarian state creating many more problems than it would solve. By definition, criminals do not obey the law. If firearms are outlawed, they are certainly not going to surrender their weapons to police, however many law-abiding citizens will, thereby assisting in the disarmament of the populace and making it open season on themselves and their neighbors. Fortunately, in a state which supports concealed carry, such as Indiana and the majority of states in the US, crime is dettered. Criminals do not know who is armed or not, and therefore are less likely to commit violent crimes against people, like murder, or rape. When you take that deterrent force from society, crime grows exponentially because there is nothing to stop the criminal from committing crimes. When you think about it, this is nothing more than common sense.

For a great essay on the farse of gun control, read "A Nation of Cowards" by Jeffrey R. Snyder which I have reproduced here for your convenience.

I am very pleased that the US Supreme Court finally ruled in 2008 that the Second Amendment is an individual, not a collective right- as some liberals erroneously claim. Anyone with a knowledge of the Constitution and the ability to read has known that it is an individual right- and fortunately, now the US Supreme Court has affirmed that in the case of D.C. v. Heller that finally overturned the illegal 33 year old ban on the rights of citizens in Washington D.C. to own handguns. Here are just a few quotes from the Supreme Court's 2008 ruling:

"The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home."

"Some have made the argument, bordering on the frivolous, that only those arms in existence in the 18th century are protected by the Second Amendment. We do not interpret constitutional rights that way."

"Just as the First Amendment protects modern forms of communications... the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the
founding."

"Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation. This meaning is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment."

"The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it“shall not be infringed.”

"As we said in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553 (1876), “[t]his is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The Second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed . . . .”

My Brother, Mark and I on Thanksgiving Day, 2001 (I'm on the ground)

Here are some links of interest:

Home of the Worlds Largest Machine Gun Shoot
where I have been going since 1993. Let freedom ring!

The National Rifle Association of America