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The pictures are chilling: A man stands outside of a Town Hall meeting, dressed well and not appearing to be unbalanced, but across his back is an AR-15 rifle, a civilian version of the M4 assault rifle used by our military. At another, a man carries a pistol on his thigh and a sign stating that it is time to "water the tree of liberty", a reference to Jefferson's quote regarding the blood of patriots and tyrants. At another meeting, a pistol drops out of a holster onto the floor and people question if it was a mistake or a threat.
No shots are fired, no weapons are ever actually drawn, but the debate on health care has gotten interrupted to discuss these armed individuals in such close proximity to our elected officials. People are shocked to see such a display of arms. They are even more shocked to find out that they are within their rights and commit no crime by bringing their guns.
The second amendment is a vital part of our democracy. We are a nation built on the principle of self-reliance and the ability to provide for, defend and govern ourselves. Arms and the legal ability to possess them are integral symbols and means to enable us to live up to those principles. America is a gun toting culture and for the sort of people we strive to be the right to keep and bear arms needs to never be repealed.
But with power, as the comic books tell us, comes responsibility. So much more so with the power to take a life. Guns should only be produced when something vital is at stake, when life or liberty will suffer and be lost if force is not brought to bear.
Which is why I wish to every deity I hold holy that these jerks would knock it off.
That they have the right to protest and have the right to be armed while doing it cannot be disputed. But they are so very much not helping their case, either in the debate about health care or in their defense of the 2nd amendment. It makes them look crazy at best, like thugs at worst.
People who have arms on them frequently are certainly more likely to be comfortable in the presence of others carrying them, but those who do not certainly aren't. To them, it comes across as a threat. Enough public outcry will draw unwanted attention to the pro-gun crowd and with that attention might come additional legislation with their need to display arms in non-life threatening situations used as proof that open carry may raise more pulses than it saves lives.
Also, force is a last resort. You hit someone when there is no room for debate, persuasion or discussion. To pull out a club before talking things over is the sign of a brute or a bully, not someone confident in their capability to engage in meaningful discussion. Strap a gun to your thigh and no matter how eloquent your speech, you're still going to look like you're ready to fight first and talk second most likely because you're incapable of talking well at all.
In theory, I'm more in favor of open carry than I am of concealed carry; it's good to know where the guns are in a room. The main advantage of concealed carry is that it allows one to keep the means to protect one's self on you at all times without distressing those who have no interest in being around guns or weapons of any sort. But when open carry is used as a not-so-subtle threat, it is an abuse of the right not a fair use. It is equivalent to putting your hands around someone's throat, not squeezing, but telling them that you just need to keep your fingers warm.
I applaud those who bear arms responsibly and use them with good judgment. I salute those who would engage in debate with policies they do not agree. I encourage protest. But if you want to be taken seriously as a gun owning citizen or a person concerned for the future of health care, for crying out loud, please leave the firepower at home.
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