Editor’s Note: Offering political commentary in the wake of tragedies is always a delicate process. But when terrible events happen, they have repercussions for our society - and they call us to reconsider things we take for granted. In an era where our politicians are often too timid, it seems, to answer tough questions with anything more substantive than a set of prepackaged comments, Jake offers a strong position on the implications of the recent violence at Virginia Tech.

Is this what the 2nd amendment was designed for? Is this what it was designed to protect?

Guns in America. I think Michael Moore made a movie about this a few years ago. Our founding fathers said something about it…what was it?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

That’s the second amendment as written in the Constitution; you know…that one long thing you had to care about in 10th grade. It was written in 1789. In the time of the musket, or as my grandpa called it, “when a guy could shoot, you’d see smoke, and could still get out of the way.” Times have changed. In the 1800s we saw the revolver invented, along with (as time passed) the rifle (which made shooting more “straight,” hence the term “rifle,”) and the first automatic weapon which was operated by a crank. In the 1900s this technology evolved even further from the revolver to the modern-day pistol and sub-machine gun. Bullets also evolved from simple rounds to bullet-proof penetrating “cop killers” (as they’re called on the street).

Here’s an earlier version of the 2nd amendment that went before the US Congress in 1789, August to be semi-exact:

A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person.

The reason I add this is simple: The Founding Fathers of America debated this issue heavily…why shouldn’t we?

For me, the 2nd Amendment is like some of the laws found in the Old Testament, particularly Leviticus. Yes, you can interpret them literally. Or you can interpret them metaphorically in some cases if you really reach for it. But many…if not all…of the issues addressed in the laws found within Leviticus (you know, the ones handed down by God) simply have no real place in contemporary American Society. And neither does completely unrestrained personal ownership of firearms.

The Founding Fathers weren’t thinking that one day people would be able to easily conceal weapons under long coats when they wrote the 2nd Amendment. They were thinking that they were under attack, or could be under attack, from the British at any given time…and the Army that was led by the greatest Founding Father of all, General George Washington, was mostly farmers who brought their own weapons to fight. Tell me, with a straight face, how that applies to today?

Presidential Candidates, and a majority of politicians, are very leery of engaging in the gun debate. Even in the wake of a horrible killing spree at an American institution (Virginia Tech), they still skirt the issue. Senator McCain reaffirmed his support of the 2nd amendement just today, as did President Bush.

My question is this: Are you kidding me? These kids weren’t killed by muskets and cannons, they were killed by modern weaponry, and by that I mean bluntly this: Weapons easily attained through either legal means or illegal means whose main intent is the killing of other humans.

Sure, many in America enjoy hunting, and that’s JUST fine. Hunting requires a license, a permit, and hopefully the desire to actually ingest the animal that you kill…but what’s one thing you can’t hunt with in America? A Hand Gun. What’s the easiest weapon to conceal in America? A Hand Gun. What kills more people in America than any other weapon? A Hand Gun.

According to Associated Press, at the time of the writing, the gunman was equipped with two pistols and several clips of ammunition. He didn’t have a musket, or a shotgun, or a fully automatic rifle. He had handguns, which are the most easily concealable and easily attained weapons within the United States. I grow sick to my stomach thinking another human would do this to other humans for no reason (and even if there’s a reason it’s still bogus), but I grow even more sick when I read what our own President, along with a man who wants to be President, ultimately said during the aftermath of this horrible day in America:

Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino:

“The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed.”

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Republican Presidential Candidate:

“We have to look at what happened here, but it doesn’t change my views on the Second Amendment, except to make sure that these kinds of weapons don’t fall into the hands of bad people.”

Make sure these weapons aren’t in the hands of bad people? How about, “No one should have these weapons legally”? What the hell is a bad person? Are you asking gun retailers to profile people? The reason the Police Union is against handguns is because the very existence of these weapons makes their job harder, and if the Police Force is lowest level of law enforcement on a state level then, well, shouldn’t it follow that they’re more equipped than the people that they are trying to enforce the law against? This is a golden opportunity to fight against hand guns. The President can say all he wants to comfort the families, but agreeing that the hand guns of today equal the arms of yester-year is simply ridiculous.

This is the President’s main flaw: he thinks in the past. Get rid of the guns - this is the time to do it. We should’ve done it after Columbine.

We aren’t facing foreign invaders, and even if we are (say, the 9.11 Terrorist attacks) what would a fucking gun have done to prevent that anyway! The 2nd Amendment was written for “in case shit happens” purposes, as well as a look at our friends the French during this time who were facing a bloody Revolution that you may have read about some time.

Senator McCain actually clarified his position by stating:

“Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens.”

What the hell does that mean? The gun, alone, cannot commit a crime. The human, without the gun, does not commit a gun crime…add the two together and you have a human committing a gun crime. People don’t have a gun crime record until they commit a gun crime. They may not have a criminal record at all! The students at Columbine had no criminal record prior to their crime and neither did Timothy McVeigh, who was a highly decorated soldier during the first Gulf War. My point is that no one is a non-law-abiding citizen until they commit a crime…and my guess is that the perpetrator of the crime yesterday at Virginia Tech was probably considered a “law-abiding citizen” as of 6am EST yesterday morning.

Get rid of the hand guns, make it harder to get a rifle or shotgun, and crack down on black market gun sales. It’s not tradition, it’s murder. And don’t give me that shit about how having a gun concealed, even with a permit, can help you alleviate crime, because if doctors who are off the clock perform CPR and break a rib can get sued…what do you think is going to happen if you try some vigilante shit with a gun in public? So don’t think you’re a hero.

Also, if you think I’m some left-wing anti-gun nut job, I’ll show you my NRA membership and challenge you to target practice with both a hand-gun and rifle, and clay-pigeon shooting with a shot-gun. Sometimes it takes someone with a knowledge of guns to realize their full potential, and to realize how horrible they are for our society.

Guns are designed to kill. That’s it, that’s their sole purpose. They provide no other purpose in the world. Shooting someone doesn’t cure the common cold just as it doesn’t cure diplomatic situations. All we can do in American Society is make it harder to get one, and make it impossible to conceal one (and to do that we must get rid of hand guns once and for all).

It’s ok though, the President still loves the 2nd amendment even after a large group of college students gets gunned down in dorm rooms. God Bless America, right?

All I know is that 33 people, mostly young college students, are dead. And as long as we allow the 2nd amendment to be interpreted literally and liberally, without any disruption from the political process, then it’s going to keep happening, and it’s going to get a lot worse.

Madison was not talking about 9mm handguns when he wrote the 2nd Amendment. He was talking about the Farmer who was tending to his Tobacco when a group of British Soliders stormed his property to either get a free meal, or kill him and then get a free meal. Times have changed - so why don’t we start acting like it?

Or just blame video games, Hollywood, and Marilyn Manson. I mean, you can never blame the lobbyists for weapons manufacturers who also contribute heavily to Political Campaigns…can you?

WHAT'S NEXT?

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