Gun Control
By Harry E. Berndt
In the United States in 2012, it is argued that in 1787 the founders knew that each person should have a gun to protect against all others. This is called the Second Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, and is so sacred that some people say it can never be changed. The arguments for or against unlimited gun ownership revolve around the interpretation of the Second Amendment which states, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The National Rifle Association (NRA) convinced its supporters to interpret the Amendment to mean that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms without restrictions, while those favoring strict gun controls interpret the amendment as addressing the need for a well regulated Militia and the "people" being the collective body politic, as in "We the People". Shouldn't we think of the Second Amendment to our Constitution in terms related to the conditions that existed at the time of ratification? The founding fathers of this nation were not stupid, but they would have had to be if they would have known about the weapons available today, and determined that such weapons should be available to individuals without strict control. Those who control the NRA have made this place in which I live the most dangerous in the world, excepting those places at war. Who are they? Are they those who also profit from guns and munitions? I never hear anyone suggest that the National Rifle Association and the manufacturers of weapons and ammunition should bear any responsibility for the out of control gun murder rate in the United States. Shouldn't the government place restrictions on what can be manufactured and distributed? All the speeches and articles decrying the horrors of gun ownership and deaths resulting from gun ownership will change nothing unless there are reasonable regulations and restrictions governing both gun ownership and gun and munitions manufacturing.
