By John Branthoover / Herald Forum

The first ten amendments to our Constitution, The Bill of Rights, were designed to protect us from an overreaching and dictatorial government. They are not written in a way that requires permission or license to exercise their protections.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to a free press. The press does not need a license to publish what it pleases. The same amendment guarantees the right of any citizen to engage in the exercise of any religion of their choice, or no religion at all. Churches, and religious organizations, are not required to receive a license from the government to practice their faith. The very same Frst Amendment guarantees all citizens the right to assemble, and to protest government actions, without a license from the government.

The other nine amendments place similar strict prohibitions on government actions that were made permissible by our Founding Fathers in the Bill of Rights. Our specified, defined, individual rights have made the United States the envy of the world. People risk everything to get here.

A gross misunderstanding of the Bill of Rights, and Constitutional history, has me concerned for the future of this country. There are now subtle attempts to diminish the very guarantees that have provided us the freedoms we enjoy. The diminishing of just one of our rights opens the door to a slippery slope that will destroy all of our treasured protections.

The Second Amendment is the door that government, at several levels, is using to start the attack on all of our rights. If just one defined right can require a government license, than all rights are at risk of being done away with over time. Government will tell us “It’s for our safety.” This is the the same cry of every modern historical tyrant seeking total control of their population.

A few states, including Washington, have proposed legislation that would require any citizen to purchase a license before they can exercise their right to purchase or own a firearm. As of yet, no state has explained how any such law would make us safer. Citizens of good standing don’t break the law, only criminals ignore the laws already on the books. Only good citizens will fall under the control of government agencies set up to enforce a licensing requirement. The many firearms laws already on the books are not enforced, and known criminals are not prosecuted. The recent Hunter Biden firearms case is one recent example.

The Supreme Court has ruled in a New York case, regarding a city license requirement, stating that “No government can require a citizen to have a license to take advantage of any Constitutional Right.” A state law, that may pass in Washington state, would surely be ruled unconstitutional. The proposed law will only cost taxpayers millions of dollars to enact, and millions more to defend on its way to its eventual Supreme Court defeat

We should all realize the Second Amendment does not place restrictions on semi-automatic rifles, or hunting rifles, pistols, or revolvers. Like all of the amendments, it places restrictions on our government. The technology of the firearm is irrelevant. The restrictions on government remain the same.

The Second Amendment forbids any government interference in that natural right. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Why are those words not understood by our ever pandering politicians?

If the woke rabble is successful in eliminating or modifying just one of the first Ten Amendments, freedom of the press, assembly and religion are their next logical targets. We should all be careful what we vote for and what we are willing to support. I, for one, am not willing to see even one of our rights placed under the control of any government politician.

John Branthoover lives in Arlington.