Column on guns is way off target

I cannot help but respond to Sholeh Patrick's column about American gun ownership in Tuesday's edition of The Press.

While I fully appreciate her attempts to placate her readers (who are no doubt predominately gun owners) by citing how gun ownership is up and gun-related violence is down worldwide, I take offense at several premises within her column.

I am offended by her assuming that Americans have a "love affair with guns." While many American gun owners undoubtedly have a great appreciation for the form, function, engineering, and utilitarianism of various types of firearms, one could hardly call it a "love affair." I think what Americans are in love with, Ms. Patrick, is FREEDOM!

Our ability to own firearms, granted to us (as are all of our rights) by our Creator, and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, is what protects that freedom from evil individuals or tyrannical governments. This is why Americans are called citizens and the people of almost every other country on the globe can easily be defined as subjects.

I also take offense at her stab at the second amendment as a protection for a "militia," completely ignoring the phrase, "...the right of the people...", and how our founders could not imagine "automatic weapons or massacred kindergartners." I would argue that our founders would find it even more difficult to imagine the nation they envisioned having abandoned God, decency, civility, responsibility and accountability in our government, schools, and other public institutions. If we remove God and guns from our society (or schools), be not surprised if evil walks in.

I am offended by at least one of her blanket statements, "private gun sales unmonitored" as being partly, factually incorrect. A number of states require that all private party gun sales must be transacted through licensed dealers that require the purchaser to undergo a background check.

I am also offended by her response to the fact that gun sales since our current president's election have risen between 40 and 86 percent: "ironically, since he took office no new restrictions have been enacted." Barack Obama has a long history of anti-gun sentiment, but did not have the political support in the legislature, or in the populace to attempt any new regulations. Instead he began a program called Fast and Furious in October of 2009, funneling illegally purchased guns from American gun stores to drug cartels in Mexico in what I believe was an attempt to change that sentiment. But now, since the horrific act perpetrated in Newtown, Conn., not being one to let a tragedy go to waste, the president and his party are in full gun-control mode. Short of complete confiscation (which would require the nullification of our entire Bill of Rights), there is no law they could pass that would have prevented that terrible day.

I also take offense to Ms. Patrick's comparing America to Europe, as though Europe were the final arbiter on any and all subjects. Since Ms. Patrick seems to lack any sort of a foundation in European history, let me remind her that Europe has been the scene of more revolution, tyrannical oppression, and outright genocide in the modern age than anywhere else on the planet, most all of which was preceded by the disarming of the common people. Need I name names?

First they (insert your favorite oppressor here) took the right and/or ability of self defense away from the populous (insert your favorite oppressed here) and then they manipulated and/or exterminated them. If it weren't for several million brave American "cowboys" with guns, all of Europe would be speaking German to this day.

I am also offended by the continuous use and dependence upon the first amendment of the constitution to go about trying to dismantle the second amendment, which is the only true guarantee for all of our rights. While Ms. Patrick put up a pretty solid wall of platitudes on the behalf of guns, her personal biases push out through the cracks.

I think I am most offended by the singular basis of Ms. Patrick's column, that Americans own guns because they are afraid. I disagree. I think Americans own guns because they are prudent, but most of all, Americans own guns because Americans value freedom!

American gun ownership is way up and crime is way down because, as Robert Heinlein once said, "An armed society is a polite society."

J.D. Gaines is a Coeur d'Alene resident.