Protecting our Rights
Robert wrote the following letter to the editor, which was published this past week in several Ohio papers, including the Zanesville Times Recorder and today’s Columbus Dispatch
The Supreme Court recently struck down a gun ban and affirmed that the Second Amendment to keep and use firearms was an individual right. While this seems gun-rights friendly, the majority opinion contains serious flaws. The opinion is self-contradictory by first acknowledging a pre-existing right and later claiming that it is the Second Amendment that confers a right to gun ownership. This claim is directly at odds with the clear intent of the Founding Fathers, and leaves the door open for untold infringements to a citizen’s lawful right to self-defense.
The Declaration of Independence clearly states that our rights are inalienable and are derived from our Creator. To secure these rights, the people have instituted government. Our Founding Fathers knew that the best form of government was one strictly limited to specific enumerated powers. The Bill of Rights did not create any rights at all; it simply acknowledged our God-given rights that existed before government. The Bill of Rights is thus a bill of limitations on government – “Congress shall not….”
George Mason, the father of the Bill of Rights, reminds us “To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” Many well intentioned people claim that our modern society is no longer in need of such safeguards. Recent history destroys this argument. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JFPO.org) has published a study of the five largest genocides of the twentieth century. In each case a government murdered millions of its own citizens. In each case strict gun control laws preceded the genocide. None of these atrocities would have been possible but for civilian disarmament. Most Americans would be shocked to know that the U.S. Gun Control Act of 1968 is almost identical to the Nazi civilian disarmament laws of 1938.
The Second Amendment is truly the “teeth of liberty” and serves as the enforcement arm for the First Amendment. It ensures that our rights are guaranteed now and for all foreseeable future.
Robert Owens
Candidate for Ohio Attorney General
Delaware, OH
I just printed this page out and I am talking to our local newspaper editor to see if he will print it.
A candidate with a clear understanding of the intent of our Founding Fathers vision and the courage to let it be known is a rare animal in today’s political arena. You have my vote.