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Gun owners have rights too

January 25, 2013

There is an amazing amount of misinformation that surrounds the recent gun-control debate, most of it coming from those who have a strong desire to impose their ideological restrictions on their neighbors.

I would suggest if you choose to have this conversation, learn the vocabulary.

Modern firearms come in a variety of configurations; some look traditional and some don’t. If you truly believe that cosmetics are responsible for the way a firearm is used, maybe you should not visit the beauty section of your local department store; using those products may change who you are.

There are some genres of music I don’t enjoy, but I have no desire to advocate restricting others from having access to them. Applying one set of rules to the First Amendment and another to the Second Amendment is dangerous. I was taught in school that my rights end when they begin to interfere with yours; I thought that works both ways. Of course we can apply this analogy to almost anything, like clothing, cars, food, get the idea?

Some of our elected representatives have chosen to prostitute the murder of children to advance their political agenda, and I find that disgusting. They have caused a divide in the people at a time when there are grieving families who need our compassion and support. We should not allow ignorance to interfere with humanity when facing any atrocity, and we owe the families the courtesy to grieve in their own way.

What happened in Connecticut would not have been avoided by any of the overreaching, restrictive proposals being discussed by the governor or the president. What would have prevented it begins with making sure help was available for a mother who had a mentally ill child. What would have prevented it ends with public schools taking the safety and security of our children seriously.

Is having armed personnel in our schools the answer? Maybe. Could better training for faculty have an impact? These are the questions we should be asking if we really want to ensure the safety of our children and not infringe on the rights of honest gun owners.

Jerry L. Mitchell
Lewes

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