Huffington Post
A town of 140 people in western Maine is considering an ordinance making gun ownership mandatory, the latest of a handful of communities nationwide to pass or consider such a rule even though the measures are widely considered unenforceable.I wish I had a dollar for every time one of the gun-rights fanatics said they don't demand that we own a gun if we don't want to. I guess that's another one of their claims that turns out to be untrue.
All three members of the Board of Selectmen in Byron favor it, and Head Selectman Anne Simmons-Edmunds said she expects residents to approve it at Monday's town meeting, a New England institution where townspeople vote up or down on municipal proposals.
"We're hoping that the town will get on board with us but will accept whatever the town wants," Simmons-Edmunds said Friday.
Communities from Idaho to Georgia have been inspired to "require" or recommend their residents arm themselves ever since a gunman killed 26 youngsters and educators Dec. 14 in a school in Newtown, Conn., and raised fears among gun owners about an impending restriction on Second Amendment rights.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
I think it's a profoundly bad idea. I've been talking with many gun owners. So far, all of them agree with me. The 2A supports the right to keep and bear arms. It does not require it. People are free to not exercise one or more of their individual rights if they so choose. That freedom is as important as the freedom to exercise a right.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, Mikeb shows us how prejudiced he is. He sees all of us who advocate for gun rights as being monolithic. This new proposal, the reaction of sheriffs around the country, and many other similar responses do show the mood of much of America, but I would never insist that someone own a gun if that person doesn't want one.
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