In some recent letters to the editor, calls have been made for a ban to be enacted on so-called "assault rifles." I observe that this is a reaction, by well-meaning people, who want to do something, anything, to stop multiple-victim homicides. The reality, however, is that such a ban would not stop evil men from carrying out their evil acts. Would someone who would commit mass murders be likely to abide by a gun law? Even if they could not obtain a weapon such as an AR-15, would they not then carry out their evil by other means, such as bombs, vehicles, or other types of firearms?
Such a ban would only affect law-abiding citizens, by stripping us of the freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. It would also serve to turn millions of good men into "criminals," as multitudes would refuse to give up their constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms.
Why would so many citizens resist such a ban? Because they know that the Second Amendment to the Constitution says, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed," and they know why that right is so important.
Why does the Second Amendment exist? Why did the Founding Fathers see it as important to include it, and why do so many Americans see it as critical to freedom? Noah Webster understood why. He wrote:
"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.
A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive." (An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, 1787).
Gun control is not about guns. It is about control. The Founding Fathers knew that, and that is why they included the Second Amendment in our Constitution. Today, millions of Americans also know that, and that is why they will never surrender their God-given right to self-defense and self-determination. That is why they will never surrender their right to keep and bear arms.
This being the case, gun control advocates will never be able to ban AR-15s. There are, however, other ways to successfully address the problem of societal violence; ways that do not rob Americans of their constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. If we as a nation are really serious about stopping gun violence, then we must give our attention to those ways, and we must abandon all efforts to either ignore, or pervert the meaning of, the Second Amendment.
Lawrence McSwain
Lewes