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Anti gun article from the World Herald 4-24-09

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FarmerRick:
Seen it in Wednesday's paper, nice write-up.

OnTheFly:
They changed a little, but it was mostly intact.

http://www.omahaworldherald.com/index.php?u_page=3952&u_sid=10627112


--- Quote ---Midlands Voices: Don't trample gun rights
BY GREG LAMB

The writer, of Lincoln, is a firearms enthusiast.

It is disheartening, to say the least, when an individual such as E.J. Dionne Jr. gains national exposure to speak of something he knows nothing about (April 24 More Commentary). Moreover, his lack of research on gun regulation is made painfully apparent by the misinformation he has presented.

First and foremost, the legal ownership of firearms in the United States is an individual right recognized by the Bill of Rights and recently confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The liberal left cannot dispute one simple truth; The Bill of Rights was written to recognize the rights of individuals, not of the government. In fact, the government has never had rights, only responsibilities. Any argument to the contrary shows only a waning knowledge of the war for independence and the armed civilians who fought and died for our victory.

Thomas Jefferson included the following passage in his "Legal Commonplace Book": "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one."

Furthermore, how is it even plausible to any American that the solution to Mexico's problems is to deny the rights of our own citizens? The lack of control by the Mexican government can be traced to one ongoing issue: the absence of a secure border. A secure border would significantly slow the flow of illegal drugs and weapons.

Let us imagine that we somehow came up with a law that severely impedes criminals' attempts to obtain firearms. Would this disarm wrongdoers when our southern border so freely allows the movement of illegal people, drugs and firearms? Is this the ingenious plan of the anti-gun lobby?

Once our rights have been taken away, maybe we will finally decide to secure our borders.

Mr. Dionne also would like us to feel ashamed of our gun laws by comparing the United States to other democratic countries. How can Mr. Dionne state that our gun laws are ineffectual and call for further legislation when our government fails to enforce the laws already in place?

Before we trample on the Bill of Rights, we need to demand that the government exact strict punishment for the laws that currently exist. Take criminals off the street and keep them off.

The tragic mass shootings over the past 10 years have become the war cry of the anti-gun crowd. These killers have one commonality: the desire to display their superiority and share their pain with the world.

I believe Mr. Dionne may be on to something as he contemplates limiting rights. Instead of attacking the Second Amendment, why don't we call for restricting the First Amendment?

I consider the irresponsible use of free speech by the press to be the cause of the copycat crimes perpetrated since Columbine. Just as a criminal wields a knife or pulls a trigger, the press has provided these assailants with their true weapon. If you are unwilling to limit the First Amendment, how can you call for restricting the Second?

If Mr. Dionne had the slightest understanding of firearm laws, he would be ashamed to use such a baseless term as the imaginary "gun-show loophole." The private sale of firearms between individuals is allowed in most of the United States. The fact that it may take place at a gun show is irrelevant.

Any loss of human life, especially a death caused by the heinous act of another, is undoubtedly a sad event. It is human nature to seek a person or object to blame for the loss. A criminal's use of a firearm garners the same reaction: Blame the gun instead of the miscreant who pulled the trigger.

Mr. Dionne is correct. It was not the gun lobby that elected President Barack Obama. Regardless, he has sworn to uphold the Constitution. Possibly the "petrified" members of Congress that Mr. Dionne speaks of are simply not willing to lay waste to what our forefathers fought so hard to found.
--- End quote ---

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