In actuality firearms are not evil. It is the people who misuse them who give the rest of us who are obedient to the law a bad rap. I personally have a collection of firearms in the States that I enjoy a great deal for hunting and sport shooting. I am proficient in the use of all of them and am more than qualified to use a firearm in self defense. I have never (thank God) had to raise a gun in self defense, which means I have never drawn on anyone in my life. I hope I never have to.
With reference to the Second Amendment, there is a great deal of misunderstanding on the topic. The Founding Fathers of the United States believed that keeping and bearing arms was the obligation of all people as there was no such thing as a "national guard" then. The "well regulated militia" was the able-bodied person who kept himself in training with his own firearm who then served with others like him in the defense of country when needed. It is common knowledge that Americans in that time owned weapons for defense of country, hunting and personal protection.
America's Founding Fathers also believed that it was essential for the citizens to own firearms as a check against government power. In fact, the Founding Fathers insisted on the Second Amendment for the simple reason that the lack of it made people subjects to an authoritarian government as had been the case with the English crown.
Those of you who oppose firearm ownership by anyone but the government place a great deal of trust in government to not violate that trust. Personally I don't trust government as it all too often serves itself rather than those it governs. How can government be by the consent of the governed if the governed represent no threat to governmental authority when they become overzealous?
In actuality firearms are not evil. It is the people who misuse them who give the rest of us who are obedient to the law a bad rap. I personally have a collection of firearms in the States that I enjoy a great deal for hunting and sport shooting. I am proficient in the use of all of them and am more than qualified to use a firearm in self defense. I have never (thank God) had to raise a gun in self defense, which means I have never drawn on anyone in my life. I hope I never have to.
With reference to the Second Amendment, there is a great deal of misunderstanding on the topic. The Founding Fathers of the United States believed that keeping and bearing arms was the obligation of all people as there was no such thing as a "national guard" then. The "well regulated militia" was the able-bodied person who kept himself in training with his own firearm who then served with others like him in the defense of country when needed. It is common knowledge that Americans in that time owned weapons for defense of country, hunting and personal protection.
America's Founding Fathers also believed that it was essential for the citizens to own firearms as a check against government power. In fact, the Founding Fathers insisted on the Second Amendment for the simple reason that the lack of it made people subjects to an authoritarian government as had been the case with the English crown.
Those of you who oppose firearm ownership by anyone but the government place a great deal of trust in government to not violate that trust. Personally I don't trust government as it all too often serves itself rather than those it governs. How can government be by the consent of the governed if the governed represent no threat to governmental authority when they become overzealous?