by Chris Fers
Chester Resident
“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.” There I said it, quoted the second amendment and no one was hurt. Surprising enough there is a huge divide among “We the people” over it. Does it mention primitive muskets, fully automatic AK-47s or high capacity magazines? No I didn’t see any firearms specifically mentioned, and I have a hunch why. Our founding fathers were nonstop learners, studying past and present (in their time) governments to see what worked and what hadn’t while trying to pave the United States road to peace and prosperity and out of tyranny. It was left vague to evolve with the times future generations of Americans could potentially face. Also of note is nowhere are the words “hunting” or “target shooting” or “home or personal defense” for that matter anywhere in the second amendment. No our forefathers were not giving us the means to only defend ourselves from deer, bears, paper target, clay pigeons or boogie men, but instead were (or they thought) guaranteeing the American people the right to decide their own fate, if you will when faced with any threats foreign or domestic.
There is no magic wand that will rid the United States or the world of firearms, you cannot uninvent something. If this is hard to believe I suggest we look no further than Chicago or New York City where bans on Handguns and “defensive rifles” (assault rifles are fully automatic and heavily regulated). Violence involving these types of firearms is running rampant with Chicago topping 500 homicides in 2012 and New York City residents not even so much as raising an eyebrow at the sound of gun fire daily. As if that stat was not enough look at where all of these senseless mass shootings are occurring, that’s right the coveted “gun free zone”. The common formula seems to be some disgruntled over/under medicated, troubled soul acquires their weapons, almost always illegally and seeks out somewhere that they do not expect anyone else to be shooting back at them as their target. A lot of people like to bring up the Fort Hood massacre at this point as a rebuttal saying things like “but that guy went into an army base and began killing soldiers who are highly trained in firearm use and combat scenarios.” That is absolutely true but what is never mentioned is on every United States military complex all firearms and ammunition are held under lock and key and so much as carrying a handgun is a serious offense. Nobody mentions that the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado where James Holmes opened fire was the only theatre in Aurora with a “No Guns Allowed” sign, the magical shield from all evil that close to half of this nation’s citizens demand. They see “No Guns Allowed” I see “Fish in a Barrel”, but I seem to be in the minority who still doesn’t believe evil, deranged criminals follow laws like the rest of us.
The other half I speak of (in my best attempt to sound nothing like another gun grabber Mitt Romney) instead huddle around their televisions desperate to see everyone involved in a tragedy afterwards dying to see their faces in a time and place where the affected just want to be left alone. The cameras and microphones are crammed in the distraught’s faces with no effect of how it makes them feel only how it makes the “victims” sitting on the couch feel. Now comes the gun control talk just like clockwork once the camera’s run out of victims to exploit. All of a sudden every gun in everyone’s home has become a wanted dead or alive bounty target. The truth is the people who want gun control, have always wanted it and guess what, they either own or employ others who own and carry firearms for their own as well as their family’s protection. Look no further than the President, where ever he decides to go becomes a “gun free zone” but still has heavily armed security protecting him. Another example is Illinois State Senator who is a huge gun control advocate, being arrested December 6th 2012 after Transportation Security Agents discovered a .25 caliber Beretta handgun inside of his luggage while being screened before boarding a plane. What about all the actors in Hollywood demanding gun control now? Matt Damon has made millions upon millions with the “Bourne” series of movies where he’s always the armed good guy defeating the armed bad guys who wish him harm. As soon as Mr. Damon is done filming for the day he’s accompanied by his armed security guards that he pays for his own protection. Beyoncé and Jay-Z are also among the loudest voices crying “gun control now,” yet both are protected by armed security and Jay-Z still makes millions off his rap songs about selling illegal drugs, the hypocrisy is beyond laughable there. Yet here they are, trying to tell us what we should or should not do to protect ourselves and families.
How could this even make sense? I’ve been racking my brain trying to determine that one and here is my best conclusion. It seems “We the people” have become terminally “star struck” with the famous. This could explain why reality television is number one, the more invasive the cameras the better! We worship our “stars” and leaders and they know it. We’re always hearing about the star with some deranged stalker who was planning on inflicting them harm, are they going to get rid of the security guards that prevented harm upon them by an evil, deranged fan. Now I’m sure no one in Washington D.C. or Hollywood is happy when they see the victims of atrocious firearm crimes but I highly doubt they cry when they read the numbers of causalities caused by tobacco, alcohol or automobiles in comparison. No I believe maybe, just maybe these aristocrats become accustomed to being idolized and they begin to look at themselves differently. There’s no way Matt Damon is going to protest to have every copy of his films containing gun violence be registered, confiscated or outlawed. I don’t see Jay-Z giving back all the money he made selling the youth of America his thuggish, gang banging, crack slingin style of music he’s so highly regarded for. Nor will President Obama tell us that he has disbanded the Secret Service. I’m sure you say “but, but he’s the President” or “he’s Matt Damon and famous and it makes him a higher value target” you see where I get the theory of over idolization? Could these types of Americans really feel how I think they feel about guns? “They’re Okay for me to own because I’m not planning on shooting anyone and they’re for my own protection” Have we finally went over the “us VS them cliff”, where our elites want to own weapons for their protection but do not want the average Joe owning them because average Joe may or may not snap and cause them to look at common citizens of their own nation in despair killing their buzz when they’d much rather be vacationing abroad with armed guards. Or perhaps Average Joe will use their guns to inflict harm on the famous, that can’t be allowed to happen eithe