According to our constitutions, each
American citizen possesses the unconditional, guaranteed right to own, keep and
bear firearms.
The Second
Amendment to the Unites States Constitution reads: “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.”
“Shall not be
infringed” has clear meaning. It means no government shall encroach upon,
interfere with, violate, disobey or disregarded the constitutionally guaranteed
right of a citizen to own and bear firearms.
Article I, Section 27 of the Oregon
Constitution is even more specific: “The
people shall have the right to bear arms for the defense of themselves, and the
State…..”
Both of these declarations, of our
constitutional rights, are explicit and unambiguous. They are also prescient.
Virtually
every mass shooting in the United States, during the past 25 years, has
occurred in a gun-free zone. Whether in a school, a government building, a
military base or a night club, those areas were each gun free, because
politicians passed laws infringing on their constituents’ constitutional right
to carry a firearm to defend themselves in those zones.
When
confronted with determined killers possessing firearms, those laws have
consistently resulted in killing zones rather than safe zones. No one can
rationally deny that these deranged killers have sought out gun-free zones for
their carnage. The history speaks for itself.
Moreover,
every despotic regime in modern history was initiated by first disarming its
people. The common pretext is to create a safer society. Once the people have
succumbed to the ruse, they are helpless to defend their freedom.
Nevertheless,
in the aftermath of the religiously motivated terrorist attack in Orlando,
pundits and politicians are once again attempting to convince our citizens that
they must disarm in order to be safe from such attacks. We should never forget
the folks in that nightclub were totally vulnerable only because they allowed
themselves to be disarmed.
The American
Lexicographer Noah Webster observed: "There
are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They
promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.”
Also, the British
statesman Edmund Burke wrote "The
people never give up their liberties, but under some delusion."
So too, Ben Franklin
reflected: "They that give up
essential liberty, to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty
nor safety."
Those statements remain
as true today as they were when made during the 1780s. No citizen can ever be
free without the means to defend themselves and their families. To give up that
means of defense against the aggressive acts of others, or of government
tyrants, under any pretense, represents an open invitation to subjugation and
tyranny.
Unfortunately, too many
among our state and national political leaders mean to be our masters. From
their votes and statements yesterday, our president, our governor and both of
Oregon’s U.S. Senators appear to believe that in order to be safe from
terrorism, we must give up certain of our rights to defend ourselves against
extremists and religious fanatics. They do not appear to comprehend that disarming
the vulnerable only makes it safer for terrorists.
Our response to any
effort to disarm us today should be no different than the answers of our nation’s
founders.
Never!
Please remember--if we do not stand up for rural Oregon, no one will.
Best Regards, Doug
Senate District 28
Email: Sen.DougWhitsett@state.or.us I Phone: 503-986-1728 Address: 900 Court St NE, S-311, Salem, OR 97301 Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/whitsett
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