GunControlKills.com in LoUiSiAna

Letters To The Editor from www.mcall.com

The April 30 op-ed column by Ethel Jenkins was based on a misguided interpretation of the Second Amendment. The framers of the Constitution were not as nervous about states’ rights as they were about tyrants rendering populations defenseless against their predations.

Throughout history, there have always been men eager to abuse the power entrusted to them. The tyrant’s pattern is always the same: demonize arms and their owners; agitate for regulation and ban and confiscate all arms. Once innocent citizens are disarmed, quash the defenseless population. Individuals like Ms. Jenkins seem to be genuinely concerned about public health and safety, but her arguments for common sense gun control play into the hands of those who seek to forcefully control people.

The times may have changed but the real issue remains the same. If I am a free man, I should be able to purchase any commodity I desire as long as I bring no harm to another’s life or property. If I do bring harm, then there are universally recognized laws already on record that may be used to bring me to justice.

If Ms. Jenkins wishes to control gun violence, let her devise a method of changing the real cause of violence, the criminal intent in the minds and hearts of violent people. In the meantime I will not object if she wishes to leave herself defenseless, but the freedom implicit in the Bill of Rights demands my right to self protection must not be infringed upon.

Donald Harris