Arms and These Particular Men
Wait a minute! Second Amendment enthusiasts, is this what you had in mind? Does
the march in Charlottesville by neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and white
supremacists represent the ultimate expression of our right to bear
arms?
Was anyone else a bit taken aback by the sight of American Youth for
Hitler armed with helmets, shields, and semiautomatics, parading in
torch light, shouting “Jews will never replace us” and “Blood and
Soil”? Or is it just me?
Excuse me, where does it say in the Second Amendment that we have the
right to bear arms for purposes of intimidation and threat? Or am I
mistaken, and those guns were on display simply to show pride in
America’s military heritage?
My right to free speech does not permit me to shout Fire! in a crowded
theater, just for the fun of watching terrified people scramble. Does
the legislated right to carry arms openly allow hate groups to file
down our streets in military formation, groups that preach hostility and
have a history of violence ? To use our public parks to sermonize as their centurions with AK-47s stare down protesters or passersby?
If we view the Second Amendment as absolute and as expansive as its
fiercest supporters advocate, and if we suspend our ability to make
judgments about limits to rights that threaten public safety,
Charlottesville will not be the last or the worst act of domestic
terrorism committed under the banner of American greatness.
Publishing History
Daily Freeman 8/28
NP Times 8/31
Shawangunk Journal 8/31
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