I believe Democrats must include in their support of the Second Amendment the right to possessing assault weapons and must concede to limiting abortions to a last-resort option. Republicans must not support total bans on abortions, nor prohibit access to birth control. Republicans must also acknowledge that not everyone should have access to weapons.
Stephen P. Halbrook’s book “The Founders’ Second Amendment” cites many founding documents supporting the desire of Founders to have male citizens armed for defense of self, property, state and country against criminals, insurrections and abusive government. In those days, it would have been foolish to limit the possession of arms to pistols instead of the more powerful muskets or rifles.
So, too, today, the right to possessing and bearing arms must not be limited to a mere handgun when the domestic or foreign threat is more likely to come from bearers of more lethal weapons such as assault weapons. But gun rights advocates must put stipulations on gun possession just as the founders did. Only the “principled” and “peaceable” were to be armed. It was stated in the ratifying conventions that “no law shall be passed for disarming the people or any of them, unless for crimes committed or real danger of public injury from individuals.”
Finally, the biblical God who kills young and old alike and orders mass killing cannot be used as a pro-life God. Hosea 13:16 and other passages wherein God orders slicing babies from wombs and smashing the young against rocks forbid such a contradiction.
Bruce Braden
Carmel, Ind.
The writer is a Mt. Pleasant native.