GUNS: Respect whole amendment

It’s time to look at the Second Amendment with fresh eyes. Read it as it is written: “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.” Whatever the effect of our heavily armed civilians, we have nothing like a well-regulated militia.

The term “well-regulated militia” has been hashed and rehashed to avoid its plain sense, but those words inherently authorize us (the people) to put reasonable constraints on guns. To drive a car, you have to be old enough, pass a test to prove your competence, and prove that you have liability insurance to compensate others you may accidentally or carelessly injure. You must renew your drivers license regularly and prove you have insurance yearly. Those are reasonable rules for operating something as dangerous as a car. If similar public policy were applied to gun owners and users, we would have a small hint of a well-regulated militia. We can all be advocates of the Second Amendment, if we respect the whole thing, not just the last part.

It’s silly to claim, “shall not be infringed” has more force than “well-regulated.” Treating “shall not be infringed” an absolute principle is silly, reckless and grossly unjust to the people who suffer death and injury from misused guns.

ROD BRISTOL

Coeur d’Alene