Dear Editor,
Thank you for stating your opinion on the gun control issue (“Background checks are needed,” May 3), however I am shocked on your stance of the Second Amendment and would like to provide a different opinion.
First of all, the background check bill failed because of the same reason many others fail: it was full of high controversial gun control issues.
When Obama states that 90 percent of gun voters support background checks, he is using a manipulated statistic. When I researched this I found that only a small portion of people in one area were asked – it could not be accurate.
Many people do not like background checks because they feel it gives more power to the government. Indeed in some states such as New York, backgrounds checks have been extended to include a proof of need clause. Allowing anyone to decide whether I need a gun is like having someone else decide whether I need a car. Both are weapons that are used in murder. I am somewhat split on background checks myself and would rather a neutral agency deal with this.
You wrote, “…the Second Amendment is wildly outdated.” Unfortunately this displays ignorance of the origin and purpose of the Second Amendment. Many mistakenly believe that the Second Amendment applied only to “hunting rifles,” or personal safety from a potential robber. These options are certainly covered by the Second Amendment, but they are not the reason for its creation.
The Second Amendment was not to protect hunting rights, but to protect the people from the government. People who cannot protect themselves without the help of the government are a weak people and an easy target for any power hungry individual or nation. A country is only as strong as its people, and America is supposed to be a country that is by the people, of the people and for the people. Gun control is not a matter of whether I need a gun, but about whether I have a right to a gun. Unfortunately most of those who are arguing for more gun control either do not own guns themselves, have their own security or know the right people so that their own weapons will not be at risk.
Thank you once again for your opinion editor, however many of us Americans, who have lived outside the big cities and have studied the founding fathers and world history extensively, beg to differ.
Annunciata Williams
Senior
