Firearms not only way to protect home, family
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 16, 2016
I read Tom Burke’s commentary, “For many, gun ownership comes down to a duty to protect,” in Sunday’s paper.
I think he has mistaken a mandate with a right when it comes to the Second Amendment.We are mandated by law to pay taxes. We don’t have a choice. According to the Second Amendment, yes we have a right to bear arms, but we also have the right to not bear arms. Mr. Burke seems to want to take that right away. He implies that unless we carry a gun we are not able to protect our children as good as we possibly can. Who is he to judge?
He is right in saying that when our time is up the heavenly father will question us on what we did to protect our family. He won’t judge us on whether we carried a gun or not. I don’t need a gun to protect my family. I don’t appreciate someone who says I have to. That’s taking away my Second Amendment rights to not bear arms.
You don’t have to be religious to know that Jesus didn’t carry a gun. He didn’t carry a rock or a stick or anything. He counted on his heavenly father to protect him. Which is what I choose to do, which is what we all should do. I am doing my best as a parent to my children by doing that, rather then relying on a gun. Mr. Burke does not know me or my family or our situation, so who is he to judge? I choose to protect my family by not having a gun.
Sure, my kids know what a gun is, but they have never seen one up close. They have never seen the damage it can do. They would know not to play with it. But they would not think to check and make sure there is not a bullet in it. Or whether the safety was on. Or just the fact of throwing a gun down can cause it to fire, taking off a hand or a foot or a face. So I am protecting my family the best way I can, by evoking my Second Amendment right to not bear arms.
I think Mr. Burke should respect that and not imply that I am not doing my best, because I’m not listening to him. I listen to the good Lord above; that’s my boss. He knows I’m doing the best I humanly can, and that is enough for me.
Susie Balasa
Everett
