This week, the Supreme Court will determine whether banning the ownership of a handgun in Washington D.C. is a violation of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, which 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.” The issue that the court will decide is whether that the right to bear arms is an individual’s right, or the right of a ‘well regulated militia’ or in other words a collective right of the American people. That’s a big decision that is being amplified by the fact that the Supreme Court does not have a history of touching the 2nd Amendment with a 10 foot pole. This will also not only affect Washington D.C. but many other places that will follow suit of their ruling.
Many accuse me of being a Democrat, although I make no allegiences to any parties of a system that has a maturity level below that of Liam. But if that is the bucket that I get poured into because I tend to think that more laws and regulations, if they are for the better of a society as a whole, and can be reasonably enforced can be a good thing, then so be it. So the issue in my mind on this topic is whether not allowing individuals to bear arms will be better for all people in our country or not.
In 2004, there were 29,569 people murdered using guns in the US (as a comparison there were 56 in Australia, 184 in Canada, 73 in England and Wales, 37 in Sweden, and 5 in New Zealand). Additionally, the presence of a firearm in the home increases the chances of homicide in the home threefold, and suicide fivefold. And as a taxpayer, I've learned that 80% of the costs of treating firearm injuries are paid by taxpayer dollars. And just this week, about an hour before Courtney, Liam and I were walking through a parking lot at Babies R Us, a man was shot several times in the connecting parking lot over a ‘drug deal gone bad’. First of all I’m thankful no one else was shot in the crossfire (including my family) and my heart goes out to the shooter and victim in that situation. Drugs lead to bad things, but who wakes up in the morning thinking it may be their last time.
So all that seems like compelling arguments against individuals having guns. It is worth noting however that gun ownership has been on the decline for over three decades and the enactment of the Brady Bill in 1994 requiring that licensed firearms dealers check with law enforcement before selling anyone a gun. This has been helpful in keeping over a half million guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous criminals. The statistics above came from the Brady Campaign website, who is obviously all for more strict gun laws and would like to see the high court rule that the right to bear arms is a collective right among American people who would be protected by a highly regulated ‘militia’. I think it only reasonable to see what the other side might have to say about it.
According to the National Rifle Association, the self proclaimed leading protector of 2nd Amendment rights of individuals to carry firearms, there are no statistics that contradict what is above which would make sense I suppose, numbers don’t lie. But the NRA’s mission is one of education, safety and marksmanship when it comes to firearms. I have no problem with that. And I happen to know several people I love dearly own guns to for hunting or range shooting that are of the highest class of character and integrity. So I’m not sure I think they should have to suffer because of a few (thousand) bad apples out there.
So questions remain. Should the people that are responsible have to pay for the disobedience of those that are not? Would not allowing individuals who are not ‘society’s protectors’ reduce our gun and/or overall crime statistics to a less mind blowing level? Is there a realistic way to enforce such rules? I don’t know the answers to those questions. All I do know that is that I am for the people, all people. Not just myself, or my family or my community or country. Even if it means I have to sacrifice more of myself for the betterment of others in the world, then I will. And in this case, I hope the decision made makes that impact. Peace, love and a little bit of ‘laid back’ to you. TDT
PS – The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the right to bear arms that of an individual’s right, thus effectively overturning the Washington DC ban on ownership of hand guns.
And here is a fun link of Liam doing his first interview. You will probably have to copy and paste the URL into your browser.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8068035502229762010&hl=en
Also, Check out what our friends, the Morgans have going on by clicking on "The Morgan 4" link in the our favorite blogs section. It's amazing!
