The Quadrangle

Issue date: 9/22/04 Section: Perspectives

The Bill of Rights, as I'm sure all of you know, is the wonderful document that illustrates all of our rights as citizens of this great country. The beauty of this document, along with others from our country, is that even though they were written over two hundred years ago they hold true and are still as relevant as ever. As an American, I am proud to have all of my rights, but I am particularly proud to say I have the second amendment, "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Some elected officials would love to see this right disappear from our Bill of Rights or at least be so severely restricted that it would be almost impossible to own a gun, let alone to use one in a safe manner. The only thing I need to say to these politicians is what the head of the NRA Charlton Heston had to say, "...out of my cold dead hands." It is crucial that this right should remain and not become extremely limited; for if it was, I feel it would be a huge mistake on the part of our government. Why is it that law-abiding citizens are always the ones affected when someone abuses their right to bear arms? I don't think that the wrong doings of a few should be bestowed on the many people who do not misuse their firearms. Now, I don't want anyone to misinterpret what I am saying. I am not saying give any gun to anyone. I do understand that not everyone is responsible enough to own and operate a firearm. I think that there should be a good set of guidelines for gun ownership, not unlike the ones already in place, to specify certain restrictions within reason, such as waiting periods and background checks. This does not change the fact that, if I am a responsible person, I should be able to go out and legally buy a firearm. It also doesn't change the fact that I should be able to practice the use of my gun in a safe environment without being hassled by outrageous and sometimes seemingly impossible tasks in order to do so. While this right is guaranteed to us, when you see that the process to get a gun permit in NYC takes up to seven months and costs up to 250 dollars a year, sometimes you really wonder how much of a guarantee this right is. This is why the NRA is such an important organization; they are there to make sure that our right is not "infringed" upon. As a proud member of the NRA I am reassured knowing that the NRA does their part to protect the second amendment.

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