Most Gun Owners Are Ignorantby
Michael Gaddy At least fifty hours a week I work behind a gun counter doing my best to outfit honest Americans with the means to defend themselves when this atrocity we call government finally crosses the line, follows the dictates of history and declares war against its own citizens. Daily, I meet with gun owners who are ignorant of the obligations gun ownership brings to their lives. Everyday some customer bemoans out loud his/her fear of what will happen to their ability to own firearms should Hillary or Obama becomes president. Many, if not all, are totally ignorant of the positions and/or previous voting records of Republican candidates for president on Second Amendment issues. They automatically assume because the candidate is a Republican, he/she supports the Constitution and the right to keep and bear arms. Until recently, most had never heard of Dr. Ron Paul, even though the most prominent items in our store, other than the guns of course, are the Ron Paul signs, available free DVD’s and handouts highlighting his record in support of the Second Amendment. How could anyone who truly believes in their God-given right to own a firearm and use it in defense of their lives and the lives of their loved ones not know about the greatest champion of the Constitution in the U.S. Congress? The only answer is ignorance. The National Rifle Association, (NRA) has for the past 50+ years done very little to defend our God-given rights as listed in the Constitution, but instead sought to compromise with those who would rather see us disarmed. Teaming up with the Democrats to pass legislation that would deprive hundreds of thousands of veterans of the right to own a firearm is a great example. Most gun owners have more confidence in, and are more familiar with, the duplicitous NRA than know and support Dr. Ron Paul for president. Such ignorance is prevalent among a great percentage of gun owners. Many who know of Dr. Paul have the same remark when discussing his candidacy for president: "He can’t win." When pressed to explain why he can’t win, most respond with a comment on his not being mentioned frequently in the mainstream media (MSM). Strange is it not that gun owners allow the MSM to define the issues of a campaign and are also perfectly willing to let them select the candidates! All know how fair and balanced the MSM has been in reference to the true meaning of the Second Amendment. Various sources put the number of gun owners in America at 80 million. If this number of people could agree on the one thing they have in common, the right to keep and bear arms, and support the Second Amendment’s true defender for the office of president, no other candidate would have a chance. The only thing that can prevent this from happening is utter cowardice; the outright fear of standing up for what many have claimed for decades is their most important issue: the beloved Second Amendment. Gun owners can educate themselves on the candidates, gather the courage to support the only real Patriot in the race, or kiss the right to keep and bear arms goodbye.
January 8, 2008 Michael Gaddy [send him mail], an Army veteran of Vietnam, Grenada, and Beirut, lives in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com |
