These people will be the death of us.
From the Crossville Chronicle
From the Crossville Chronicle
I have been a hunter for over 50 years. Yet, I have never owned a pistol and have no intentions of owning one or an assault rifle. On the Internet, I found 361,000 automatic weapons for sale. Why are so many needed? Because criminals have them and we need them to be safe?
Those who do not want a waiting period of three days or not at all, who believe that registered guns will lead to the confiscation of their weapons, who want no permits to carry a pistol, cite the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights as no infringement to be able to possess and carry a weapon anywhere. They quote the second part of the Amendment as, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." Often, they omit the first part that states, "A well armed Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Tennessee is among those states having lax laws regarding gun control and ownership. It is now possible for anyone 21 years or older with a gun permit to carry one's pistol into parks, restaurants and bars (providing they do not drink in the bar) unless public and private business owners post a sign that guns are not allowed. Some gun rights' advocates want a law overriding the prohibition of taking a pistol in any of these places.
Those who want no gun control of any kind and wish an individual to arm himself or herself neglect or ignore that liberty means the right to act without restraint as long as one's freedom does not interfere with the rights of others. Greek and Roman laws of liberty were the basis for our Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights. It seems to me that those who want no gun permits, who wish to take a pistol anywhere have changed because of the return of the "good old days" of the wild west and frontier days. Which liberty is to be respected when one can carry a pistol anywhere in public places and that interferes with one's peace of mind and security of not worrying whether the gun owner is qualified, trained or is of sound mind and emotion? Personally, if I see a person with a weapon in a public place, I will quietly and quickly leave.
Many Tennessee gun permit holders and Second Amendment persons are now promoting the right to carry their guns to work on company parking lots, leaving their pistols in their vehicles and locking them in the glove compartment or trunk. Even if the plant or business posts signs that weapons are not allowed on their property, gun right holders want a law that would override company policy. They argue that the Bill of Rights accord them the right to bear arms.
As a hunter, I do not believe the day will come when my hunting shotgun and rifle will be forcibly taken by law enforcement. I do not need or want an assault rifle that will fire 12 to 15 rounds or more in a sustained mode per minute to target practice. If I ever do own a pistol, I will keep a trigger lock on it, as I have on both my hunting guns, and I will even invest to have a fingerprint safe on it.
One's right to own and carry a pistol with a permit is the right of any individual. Pistols prohibited in parks, restaurants, bars and public places such as libraries, athletic or exercise fields, and all public buildings and facilities are the rights of the general public and owners of those places to prohibit guns. Next year, the Supreme Court will hear the case of McDonald versus the city of Chicago whether the Second Amendment can be used to challenge state firearm regulations or be used only against federal gun control laws. The outcome, as far as I'm concerned, should see that freedom must exist for both the gun owner and those who do not want guns in public or in one's place of business.