Guns: constitutional U.S. right

Chris Haas, Guest Columnist

My heart goes out to those killed and injured in the Las Vegas massacre on Oct. 1, as well as to their families and friends. With 58 deaths and approximately 500 injuries, it was the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.

Shortly following the shooting, many celebrities, politicians and media personas started calling for gun control. They made emotional appeals, reminded the public about prior mass shootings and said there is “no good reason” to own certain weapons.

But all these points ignore the simple fact that the right to bear arms is a natural right fundamental to liberty.

When the Founding Fathers amended the Constitution in 1791, they included the Second Amendment: “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.”

The purpose was so the people would be able to take up arms against any threat—specifically, a tyrannical government. That is our “good reason.”

It is up to us as individuals, not the government, to be responsible with the power that comes along with that right.

Many liberals argue that enacting tighter immigration restrictions, banning people from certain countries or increasing government surveillance on private citizens would punish the many for the crimes of the few.

Restricting the Second Amendment would be no different, which is clear if you compare the large number of law-abiding citizens who own guns with the fraction of people who use guns as a weapon of mass murder.

As awful as it is to say, nothing will ever prevent shootings and other tragedies from happening. Why should we punish millions of people who did not commit these atrocities because of a small handful who did?

Let us look at these tragedies for what they are—tragedies—and come together to overcome them and rebuild together as a society, united as one, rather than to push an agenda.

No matter how awful a tragedy may be, or how despicable one person’s acts are, they should never be used to justify taking away the natural rights of others.