I’m glad Colorado voters recalled two state legislators who voted a gun-control agenda their constituencies didn’t agree with. It was the first time in the state’s history that happened, which speaks volumes about how fed up the public is getting with legislative activism.
I’ve never been one to wave around the Second Amendment, figuring our whole Constitution pretty much protected us as it was intended to do. But because the current administration shows zero respect for the parts of it they don’t like, I feel I should regularly check my hole-cards knowing this crowd will deal from a stacked deck given any opportunity.
I generally don’t do groups; I dislike organized and scripted events, name-tags and speakers. So considering my avoidance of anything smacking of membership, secret handshakes or titles, I was loath to voluntarily sign up for something this week. Maybe I did it for the wrong reasons, but they’re my reasons and this is still America.
So I’m now a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association. I went to their website, gave them my name, etc., and paid $25 dues. I’m not especially interested in receiving magazines or in participating in petition efforts directed toward legislators.
I’m not a “gun activist” in the political sense of the term, but simply decided to cast a small personal ballot in favor of gun ownership rights granted under our Constitution; hence, I and my Visa card joined up. I admit that Obama’s dislike for the NRA was a tiny extra perk of membership.
Don’t think I want everybody to rush out and buy guns. I don’t and couldn’t care less who chooses to exercise his or her ownership rights. But I want the right preserved.
I don’t agree with everything the NRA opposes. I have no problem with sound and solid background checks and don’t even have a big problem with reasonable waiting periods.
What I do have a problem with is the present incarnation of our government. Until another administration comes along that will truly “protect and defend the Constitution,” we can’t rely upon good faith and equal execution of laws.
Many liberals would have you believe guns to be the cause of gun violence, blaming the hardware rather than the software. By such convoluted logic, hypodermic needles cause drug addiction.
But logic has very little to do with their politics. Whenever some gangsta idiot with a gun does something idiotic, the left calls out Samuel Colt but leaves Lil Wayne completely alone. There’s no way rational minds can’t correlate cultures with actions.
Oppressively strict gun controls keep weapons out of the hands of law-abiding citizens but don’t impact criminals. Ask someone from Chicago how ultra-tight gun laws work for them.
So for the present, I support the NRA’s efforts to block any truncation of my rights under the 2nd Amendment. When a trustworthy administration regains power, I’ll likely quit and save my 25 bucks of annual dues.
Meanwhile, the rabid left will continue to preach that umbrellas cause rain.
Otis Gardner’s column appears here weekly. He can be reached at ogardner@embarqmail.com.