To the Editor:
This letter is in response to the letter to the editor "Common sense versus hysteria" in the Jan. 25 edition of the Pine Journal.
I agree with the opening sentence of the letter. I, too, have no problem with having to have a background check in order to purchase a gun. After that, I have to disagree.
First and foremost, read the Second amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. It has nothing to do with hunting. It was written to protect we the people against a tyrannical government, to facilitate a natural right of self-defense, as well as enabling we the people to organize a militia system. Our President swore an oath to defend said Constitution. I encourage everyone to read our Constitution. Did you know that Executive Orders are unconstitutional?
I own a weapon that comes standard with a 15-round clip. In your eyes, as well as our President's, this would be illegal. Do you think that a criminal intent on doing what he/she feels compelled to do will allow any law to hold him/her back from obtaining the weapon of his/her choice? The proposed gun laws hurt only the law abiding citizen wanting to protect him or herself.
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Our President has also introduced, as part of his gun control manifesto, a law that would make law abiding citizens be fingerprinted in order to own a weapon. I am not a criminal.
You brought up "good guys with guns" versus "bad guys with guns." I could quote quite a few incidents myself where the "good guy" won. June 2012: a 14-year-old boy shot an intruder who broke into his house while he was watching his three younger siblings. December 2012: an off-duty police officer shot down a would-be gunman as he went into a theater hell bent on a mass shooting. Also, an AR was NOT used in the Newton shootings.
History has proven that taking away the citizen's right to be armed is deadly only to the citizen. Germany. Please read your history. Only after Hitler took away all citizen weaponry did he go forth with his murderous agenda. Russia. Same scenario. Take away the arms of its citizens. Extermination of citizens.
My gun will not hurt anyone who is not trying to hurt me or my family. I dare say, most gun owners feel the same way. To law-abiding gun owners, I encourage you to write our representatives and our congressmen, and make your voice heard before it's too late. I would like to know where our elected officials stand on this heated topic.
Lynne Hoover
Esko
