Defending his rights to own guns

A recent letter-writer opined that the city of Glendale should impose a moratorium on the gun shows that occasionally descend into “his” neighborhood. He exercised his 1st Amendment rights of free speech in a public forum. Thank goodness we live in a society where the Bill of Rights is the fabric that binds us together and allows for someone to speak their mind.

Glendale is my neighborhood as well and I welcome the ability to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights. Under the Bill of Rights we don’t get to pick and choose which rights are OK and which are bad. They stand together individually and collectively, all for one and one for all, so to speak.

The core holding in the Supreme Court of the United States D.C. v. Heller decision is that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right intimately tied to the natural right of self-defense. The letter writer is blessed to live in a well-to-do locale where worries about crime are non-existent. Others are not so fortunate.

And what of the hard-working vendors and promoter? Shall their right to earn a living (and pay taxes) be curtailed as well? Shall the city of Glendale give up tens of thousands of dollars in sales taxes and auditorium fees for that warm fuzzy feeling that something was done?

I mourn for the victims of the recent tragedies, but the answer is not to ban everything firearm-related, or to disarm law-abiding citizens.

Criminals will still get firearms, because, well, they are criminals and don’t care about laws.

Until real substantive dialogue beyond prohibition or confiscation is offered, I must stand firm and defend what makes the United States a great nation.

Lawrence Lem
Glendale