Coservative Corner: Setting Your Sights On Guns

Guns, the very mention of the objects can either give you a strong sense of security, or give you cold chills of fear. Whether you are for or against them, they are a part of the past, present, and future of our country. No matter what the average person thinks of the tool, they aren’t just a weapon, there are other uses for a pistol or rifle other than just taking someone’s life.

Because of the recent shootings around the country, many people are looking at firearms in a less than favorable light. To a conservative, it’s not about a mentally unstable person with a tool to do bodily harm; it is something else. It’s about freedom, sustenance, protection, security, investments, and sanity.

The position of gun ownership is protected by our Constitution. The 2^nd Amendment to the Constitution 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”. Gun ownership, however, goes beyond protection by law. To some, it is a life style.

Not everyone lives in urban or suburban areas. Hunting is necessary to some communities. This is an activity people take very seriously. Hunting for food is a basic need and guns play a key role. For those that do live in urban communities, the need for protection is important. In many cases waiting the police to get there in a timely fashion is not an option. Using a firearm to defend yourself against one who will do you harm, however, is an option. To some people guns are therapeutic. Hanging out with friends and family at the shooting range, discussing weaponry and challenging each other at marksman skills is a great way to “blow off steam” and bring people together.

One more reason, and probably the most conspiracy ridden is protection from governments, both ours and others. Every veteran has taken the oath, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”, and depending on your view of the current administration, could be in defense of the Constitution.

A gun is a tool, and like any other tool, if not used properly, a person can and will hurt themselves or others. A gun cannot fire by itself. It requires someone to pull the trigger. Simply put, guns do not kill people; people kill people. More constrictions and tighter regulations on gun laws would be an attempt to erode away gun rights and the 2^nd Amendment, and therefore, would be illegal.