Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to Mr. Tandy Uhl’s column of January 18 entitled “Gun enthusiasts should drop amendment issue”.

From the article I could not decipher is Mr. Uhl was anti or pro gun, but that does not matter. What matters is the fact that he, the gun control advocates, and yes, even the NRA fail to address what the Second Amendment is all about.

Our Founding Fathers did not only possess great intellect but also great foresight. Their greatest passion was an individuals freedoms and their greatest fear was a central government that would become so strong as to take those freedoms away. This is clearly evident is one would ever take a little time and read the entire Constitution, something I encourage everyone to do at least once.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution is not only the guarantor that these freedoms shall not be taken away, but also the final safeguard against dictatorship and tyranny ever reigning in the United States. For our Founding Fathers, this was an easily recognizable fact since they had just freed themselves from such tyranny and non-representation.

After 218 years of freedom, we have become so complacent with it that we take it for granted thinking it can never be taken away. How dangerous an idea this is. All one has to do is take a brief look back through history or at present events today to discover that there has and will always be someone, somewhere wanting more than what they deserve or are entitled to and willing to do whatever it takes to obtain it. The Second Amendment makes it highly unlikely that this situation will ever happen here.

The Second Amendment 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”. In the day of the writing of these words, the militia was the people. The minuteman, who would grab his weapon at a moment’s notice and risk his life to ensure his family’s and neighbor’s security and freedom.

Today’s minutemen and militia is still the people who, through gun ownership, not only serve as a deterrent to any outside force but also to any internal central governmental force that may decide to infringe the freedoms that we as Americans hold so dear.

This cannot be done with shotguns and bolt action hunting rifles (just ask the people of Sarajevo). Hence, our forefathers’ insightful use of the word arms and not shotguns or muskets. As far as “well regulated,” I think the law-abiding citizen regulates himself or herself very well. “Shall not be infringed” means just what it says.

So Mr. Uhl, gun control advocates, NRA and everyone wake up and speak and recognize the truth. Or central government is already too big, has too much control and is riddled with corruption and greed. Our society’s ills are the result of many things. Too much government intervention. The moral and social decay in which an individual hardly thinks twice of taking another human being’s life for no just reason except for maybe wanting his sneakers.

People who think life and hard working taxpayers owe them a living instead of trying to support themselves. And a judicial system, though best in the world, that merely slaps the hand of the criminals that come before it. Overall, and simply stated, the lack of taking responsibility for one’s actions.

So Mr. Uhl let us all work together to solve our Nation’s ills and the real causes of all the killing around us and let the modern day minuteman and minutewoman keep their AK-47 and all the ammunition they can buy just in case someone, someday wants to take away your or my Right to write.