Letter: Second Amendment should not be idolized

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Editor,

Interesting, Mr. Joseph Moreland, of Oak Harbor. I wrote a letter to the community about the ongoing tragedy in our nation involving the use of guns, notably involving the use of assault weapons.

And in your letter to the editor, presumably in response to mine, you mention not once any concern for the victims of these horrible shooting events.

I only hope for your sake, and ours — the community of Oak Harbor — we will never suffer from one of these events.

As far as being one of these “ignorant people” you referred to “…who do not know history and the reason for the Bill of Rights and what was required to get them passed,” I can assure you that I am well versed in all that you reference.

I’m quite sure that our founding fathers would be aghast to know that the inclusion of the Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights would be so loosely interpreted as to give credence that the “right to bear arms” should include the use of assault weapons against school children, people in churches and synagogues or those attending musical events.

You claim that all of this gun violence is due to a lack of Christian values and adherence to the Commandments. Maybe as a “gun-toting, Bible-believing deplorable” you have a better read on what it means to be a true Christian.

As for myself, I aspire to be a good Christian and I don’t think Jesus likes people who idolize the Second Amendment.

In conclusion, Mr. Moreland, and others, are you suggesting that in order to keep our government from becoming oppressive “if it overstepped the bounds of the Bill of Rights.” that we, the oppressed, should have in our possession the same kinds of weaponry as our soldiers? Tanks? Grenades? A-bombs, etc.?

I would suggest that our freedoms are more secure at the ballot box.

Larry Eaton

Oak Harbor