School Shootings – When Will It Become Too Many?

December 14, 2012 

 

Imagine a world where people can go to the movies, go to school, go to the mall, go to work, and go to other popular locations without going in fear of being shot with a firearm.  I'd love such a world!  Would you?

 

The "X"  in "XING" doesn't stand for "shoot"

 

 

The Bill of Rights was made a part of the United States Constitution to protect its citizens from its Government.  The First Amendment protects our right to free speech.  The Second Amendment protects our right to keep and bear arms.

 

This morning’s shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has caused me to once again reflect on some of the questions I often have for myself as to the actual purpose of The Constitution.  Was The Bill of Rights actually intended to protect our rights or to protect our lives?  Let’s ask ourselves two important additional questions in our attempt to answer this first question.  First, how many lives have been saved in this century by the Second Amendment?  Second, how many lives have been taken in this century by the Second Amendment?  I’d say the answers to these questions were very different on March 4, 1789 than they should be today.  The Constitution was not written to be a stagnant document that never changes.  In fact, that is why it includes a means to amend it!

 

Let’s do a quick, non-scientific study among ourselves.  How many of us know about at least 20 innocent women and children that have been needlessly killed by firearms.  If any of us aren’t raising our hands to this question, then turn on the news, any news!  How many of us can accumulate situations where the lives of at least 20 innocent women and children were saved by someone using a firearm?  Exclude the life-saving instances in which the potential life-taker had a firearm.  Does that change the answer?

 

When will we fully exercise our First Amendment right to fully debate the benefits we receive from the exercise of our Second Amendment right?  What benefit do we receive in today's world by allowing just about everyone to keep and bear arms?