Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

This is not in the US Constitution but rather in the Declaration of Independence. Still, it stands as one of our steadiest ‘guarantees’ of being a citizen of the United States. If a country can’t instill a sense of freedom to live life freely and openly, enjoy the freedom of movement and thinking, and generally encourage a free pursuit of what makes you happy, what then is the purpose of that nation?

Quality of life is a core value. If the nation allows anything that threatens this value, is it being true to its promise?

A key question as our nation continues to experience unbridled violence in its restaurants, nightclubs, stores, shopping malls and on our very streets. Violence not incidentally, perpetrated with guns of all kinds and sizes. Guns designed for hunting and sport, guns meant for protection and defense, guns designed to kill hundreds of people in a theater of war.

The central tool of this carnage is guns. Let that truly sink it.

Yes, knives are used in violent acts, so are fists and truncheons. But the weapon of choice in American violence is a firearm.

An effective set of rules and laws governing firearms is needed. The gun owner’s rights to own and bear arms needs to be limited to the extent that public safety is ensured. That is common sense.

I realize that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, but that is to thwart a runaway government. Citizens are guaranteed the right to bear arms as a check and balance against government. Yet, we have had hundreds of years of experience with democracy. It works or it doesn’t. Do we still need the right to bear arms against such a threat? If not, recognize the issue, and govern it accordingly. Automobiles were a huge source of carnage. They still are, but product design, training and licensing have controlled the carnage to minor status when considering the miles our nation drives annually. Regulation of cars and operators has worked. We put our money and effort where our concern for public safety is.

Do the same with guns.

We have a national guard, standing armies and other military infrastructure to guarantee public safety and regulations to protect us all from a rogue government. The right to bear arms ought to be restricted.

November 25, 2022

 

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