IT'S NOT THE AXE

It's not the axe that chops down the tree. It's the lumberjack who swings the axe that chops down the tree. That shouldn't be a mystery to anyone. I report this in light of recent mass killings where different weapons were used. At the recent Independence Day Parade a high powered rifle was used. A few days earlier the killer used a vehicle to mow down several victims. Just today, the most popular politician in Japan was assassinated by a killer with a ghost gun. What is a ghost gun? It's a homemade weapon made with a computer and a copier.  

 

Here is an inescapable fact. Any implement in the hands of an individual bent on killing can be an assault weapon. Sometimes they just use their hands as weapons. What I'm saying is, it's not the weapon, it's not the tool being used. It's the killer who is the villain. Any rifle, handgun, sword, baseball bat, or knife are just dust gatherers sitting in the corner until they get into the hands of a killer.

 

Too often when these killings happen, liberal politicians use it as a talking point. They decry the Second Amendment. They blame all guns and all gun owners. You don't have to look very far to see what happens when normal, good citizens are disarmed. It's not a happy sight. Japan has no Second Amendment, but all guns are illegal there. That didn't stop the assassin of former Prime Minister Abe. 

 

I recently heard an anti-gun advocate say that he would be okay with the Second Amendment if people just carried muskets. His claim was that when the amendment was written muskets were the only long guns available. Using that same nonsensical argument would we feel the same about cars and speed limits? How about all of our modern medicines? How should we deal with air conditioning? None of these things were available when this country was being formed. Let's face it, we have advanced and we have invented new and modern tools and implements to make our lives easier. 

 

When the amendments to the Constitution were written they also included the First Amendment. The guarantee of free speech. Media then might be an orator speaking on the corner. Newspapers were hand produced. That amendment still protects our speech. Today we have the internet, major newspapers, television, and all manner of communication. No, we no longer carry muskets. We also don't hitch up horses to pull our wagons to town. Those towns and highways are much more crowded. People are more impatient. Mental illness is much more common than in the past. Liberal lawmakers have made it easier to be a criminal. Crazy District Attorneys put bad guys back on the street with little more than a slap on the wrist. And confused voters keep electing them to office. 

 

The pure reality is, somethings gotta give. Today there are more guns in America than people. I am a gun owner. I have these guns for hunting but also to protect my family and myself from any assault, whether from a criminal or from my own government. The people I know who own guns are not going to give them up, period. We are America. We are not Venezuela, China, Russia, or any country where the residents are subjects, not citizens. Guns allowed us to become the free country we are and private gun ownership will ensure that we remain free.

 

Ron Scarbro July 7, 2022