Commentary on Guns and the American Way of Life
Sooner or later, we Americans have to join hands and state that “enough is enough.” After six residents of Indianapolis were found shot to death this last weekend, a slaughter took place in Las Vegas. We can no longer stand by and do nothing.
While I recognize the meaning of the Second Amendment as interpreted recently by the United States Supreme Court, I also know that restrictions are permitted to protect American citizens. In other words, you have to balance the right to bear firearms with the guaranteed right of all Americans for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
More to the point, it seems clear at this stage that the shooter in Las Vegas was able to legally purchase weapons in a system that has lost meaning. There is absolutely no reason that these types of assault weapons should be available for anyone in our country, as they only operate to kill human beings.
Furthermore, our system that allows this individual to legally purchase weapons is tragically flawed by any definition. Close to 20,000 Americans are shot and killed every year and we pretend that that is a price to be paid for being a citizen of our country.
While I have argued this point in previous letters, it has been met by derision from NRA supporters. Now is the time that I call upon them to join hands so that the right to bear arms carries regulations similar to the way we control the right to own and operate motor vehicles.
In other words, you can’t drive a NASCAR machine on our interstates, nor should you be able to purchase and operate one of these automatic weapons. While prayer is important after one of these horrific events, it accomplishes nothing if we can’t eliminate access to weapons that destroy our commitment to the fundamental concept of right to life.
