Today, I read several opinion pieces about guns and gun control. I’d like to offer my own opinion.
The Second Amendment DOES NOT guarantee us the right to hunt.
The Second Amendment DOES NOT stipulate which weapons we can own.
The Second Amendment states “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.”
Our founding fathers had just fought and won their freedom from a tyrannical government. The Second Amendment gives us, the people, the right to have the same “arms” as any government, including our own.
Being armed allows us to protect ourselves from being attacked or enslaved. Please don’t be naive enough to think either couldn’t happen again.
You may argue that muskets were being referred to when the Second Amendment was written, not semi-automatic rifles. However, I submit to you the definition of “arms” according to Webster’s: ARMS; a means (as a weapon) of offense or defense. The weapons technology in use at the time of the Second Amendment’s writing is irrelevant.
Many people had an emotional response to shootings in Connecticut, as did I. Unfortunately I believe that response is clouding their judgement.
Evil people will do evil deeds without regard for laws or morality. They will not abide by the rules. We only limit ourselves by allowing our rights to be taken away for a false sense of security. The murders at Sandy Hook were tragic. They should not, however, be used to strip the people of their given rights under the Second Amendment.
To quote James Madison: “I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
Todd K. Derham
Westernport
Letters
Don’t use a tragedy as a reason for stripping us of our rights
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Freedom isn’t exactly what he thinks it is
In the June 2 Times-News, R. Steele Selby (“Just how free are we?) defines freedom as “the capacity to do whatever he or she wants to do” and asserts that this definition is “most likely nearly universal.”
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What Maryland calls the Fair Share Act isn’t fair at all
The Fair Share Act was passed in 2009. This law allowed for service fees to be part of the collective bargaining process.
The law does not mandate that service fees be negotiated, it simply provides that they can be. -
We have lots to show for our education dollars
I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Judith Weller’s latest anti-education diatribe, “The money they already have isn’t being spent wisely,” (June 3).
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Western Md. Veterans continues its mission
My name is Dan Brashear, I am the founder and director of Western Maryland Veterans.
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Maybe the cyclists and casino workers should be armed
Again, unfortunately I have to remind Don Carns Jr. of Beans Cove, Pa., on his latest repeatedly inaccurate letter published June 10 in the Cumberland Times-News (“Township is nothing like either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia”).
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Let’s all kick in $1 to help save Frostburg’s Palace Theatre
As a former resident, I have many fond memories of the Palace Theatre (“Theater wall crumbles: Palace exterior collapses, unfit for entry: officials,” June 6 Times-News, Page 1A).
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Develop the waterway
Since the debate over removing the dam started about four years ago, I have been concerned about the effect the dam removal would have on the area’s welfare.
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Living center marks national nursing assistants week
Golden Living Center will join in the celebrations honoring the hundreds of thousands of nursing assistants across the country during National Nursing Assistants Week, June 13-20.
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West Virginia, Johnny Cash, coal miners honored on stamps
While this most likely won’t fall under the category of the most earth-shattering letter to the editor you will read today, it is still big doings for those of us here at the U.S. Postal Service.
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If you build a whitewater play spot, they will come
Regarding “River Project Prospects: Experts reveal benefits, challenges at Allegany Museum” (June 7 Times-News, Page 1A):
- More Letters Headlines
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Freedom isn’t exactly what he thinks it is
