Armed, but ‘disciplined’
To keep a gun is the constitutional right of all Americans. Every citizen understands that right.
Founding Father George Washington rightfully said, “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined…”
A citizen carrying a gun must be disciplined. That word is what gives Washington’s statement its meaning.
Readers, think about the following situations:
— Kids go to school and never return home.
— Someone, who plans to get married within a month, goes to work and never returns.
— An expert giving interview is seriously injured for no reason.
— People go to enjoy the latest movie in a cinema and never return home.
— People enjoying a lunch in a restaurant, instead of finishing their meal, leave this world forever.
— A teacher faces a class full of students, some of whom will not live to see another day.
In all these situations, the children, the teenagers, the adults, the elderly — each one wants to live, to enjoy this beautiful world a little more, but were taken away with no chance of coming back. And for no good reason.
What can lawmakers can do to ensure we have “disciplined” gun owners?
If there were an emergence of fatal diseases of this magnitude, we would all be panicked; scientists would go to work immediately to find a cure.
Yet for this disease, now approaching epidemic proportions, we do nothing. This disease, the random killing of others with guns by mentally disturbed people, seems to be resistant to all human emotions and empathy.
I find an exciting remedy from comedian Chris Rock. He said, “You don’t need no gun control, you know what you need? We need some bullet control. … I think all bullets should cost $5,000 … $5,000 per bullet.”
There are people who want to fight till death for pro-life, but what happens “when you kill someone?” asks author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. Best-selling author Stephen King says, “NRA board … could be drafted … to clean up blood… half-digested food that was some innocent bystander’s last meal.”
The people who have lost loved ones naturally ask themselves and the larger world, “Why did this happen? Why does this continue to happen?”
Can we find any rationale for the Sandy Hook Elementary School’s shooting? Or the South Carolina Church shooting?
So why don’t the NRA and GOP, instead of protecting guns, come forward and do something to stem the killing of innocent people?
Jiben Roy
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.