OKLAHOMA CITY, PATRIOT DAY & GUNS?

A memorial service was held on the grounds of what was Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, where a national memorial now sits. In Boston and other cities, events are being held to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord, which started the colonies fight for independence from rule of the British Empire.

Unfortunately, some militia groups have chosen to make this day a day of protest concerning the second amendment right to bear arms. Don't misunderstand; while I do not personally feel the need to possess weapons, I respect an individual’s right to protect their own home or to hunt. My only argument with gun rights activists is why someone would need an automatic weapon for either protection or hunting. Also, I haven’t heard of any legislation to repeal the second amendment, so why is it necessary to choose such a solemn day to attempt to advance a cause like gun ownership.

My problem with today’s protests, like the one in Alexandria, Virginia, is that the protestors are being allowed to bring their weapons. This to me seems unnecessary, unless you are trying to intimidate someone by trying to threaten them with the potential use of the weapon. Also, bringing weapons to a protest would seemingly raise the already high tensions any protest brings to the police officers assigned to the event. It's funny that these armed protestors seem to be backed by the same people who practically called it treason if you spoke negatively about the Bush/Cheney administration.

For the sake of the country, this lunacy needs to stop. If it doesn't, someone is going to get killed. And, when that happens, authorities will have no choice but to crack down on these events and pass anti-gun legislation, all of which will only serve to further increase tensions. We all should fight for the rights we feel we have under the constitution and when necessary, we should do our best to persuade others to agree with our position. But, we should never seek to intimidate others to give us those rights. And while today's protests are providing a high profile for gun rights activists, the only sure way to preserve or gain rights is to get to the ballot box on Election Day. That's where your voice truly gets heard and changes truly happen.