Bearing arms is our birthright

Denver Post ^ | 9-1-02 | Ken Hamblin

[Pat Bateman]

Bearing arms is our birthright

Ken Hamblin

Sunday, September 01, 2002 - I recently spent an enjoyable evening having dinner with my son and granddaughter, Olivia Christine, who is 11 years old. Olivia is a bright and a very alert kid who recently served as my co-pilot on a trip to Napa Valley, California, for my annual fermented grape juice run.

Our trip was a great experience for her and a pleasure for me because she loves flying. She also enjoyed the bottling, corking and labeling of some very good Stoney Springs Cabernet Sauvignon at our friends' small vineyard in Napa.

So, naturally, Olivia Christine, my son and I had lots to talk about over dinner and desert. I'm not sure how or why we lighted on the subject, but the topic of firearms came up. I have always believed that when children are introduced to firearms at an early age, they learn respect for these deadly instruments and they don't harbor a fascination for something forbidden and foreign.

Olivia's dad and his sister learned to shoot by the ages of 10 and 11. So in the course of the dinner, I asked Olivia Christine if she was ready to learn how to shoot.

Her first response to my question was to flash me a pretty smile. Next she repositioned herself in her seat before politely responding:

"I don't like guns. Only the police should have guns."

Experience has taught me that kids can say the dandiest things at the dandiest times. And that you should never let a kid know when they've said something that has left you speechless.

"Where did you learn that, sweetheart?" I asked.

"In school," she said. My son and I looked at each other, and I decided to let the issue die for the moment.

Olivia Christine returned on Saturday for some back-to-school shopping with grandma and to spend the night with us.

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny and after breakfast, which Olivia Christine delivered to grandma and me in bed, she settled down with us to read the newspaper ads, whereupon she announced she would like to own a video camera to produce some home movies.

Still smarting over what I believe to be a concerted effort by educators to misinform my granddaughter about her birthright, I said: "OK. I'll make a deal with you. I have something I want you to read and talk about with me and then I'll buy you a video camera."

What I wanted my granddaughter to read was: "The Second Amendment: What Every Kid Should Know." I wanted her to know just what the U.S. Constitution said about her right to own firearms.

Olivia Christine, her grandmother and I spent the next hour and a half relaxing in bed and talking about why every law-abiding American has the birthright to keep and bear arms.

Olivia Christine's interest in the subject impressed me.

First we read and talked about the First Amendment and the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The point, I explained, was that our government was created and designed to be responsive to us and not the other way around.

Next, we tackled the Second Amendment and talked in detail about how "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I stressed the point that while nothing in the Constitution compelled her to own a gun if she didn't want to, in the United States of America, every law-abiding citizen has the right because of the Second Amendment to own a firearm if he or she does want to.

She quizzed me about the fight for colonial independence from England. We talked about the shot heard around the world and how the right to own a gun was a hard-won right that no other people have in this world. That impressed her.

"What Every Kid Should Know About The Second Amendment" concludes with these words: "It all began with a document called the Bill of Rights, containing, among others, the right to keep and bear arms. These are basic rights, and they remain your rights. As long as you do what it takes to understand them, respect them and protect them each and all."

I got the impression that Olivia Christine was impressed by that.

Ken Hamblin (bac@compuserve.com) ; www.hamblin.com writes Sundays in The Post and hosts a syndicated radio talk show.

[Shooter 2.5]

We have to educate our young or we'll lose.
When I found out that my sister voted for clintoon twice and she came to Texas, I had accidently mentioned that I would take her shooting. I finally ignored her request because I couldn't show someone something that they were working to take away.
After spending a couple of months telling her what clintoon had done in his efforts to destroy the country, she finally came around.
We may even go shooting the next time she's here.

[ninenot]

The amazing part of your story is that she was ALLOWED to come to Texas after having 2x voted for x42.

[Shooter 2.5]

No one found out until she arrived. She almost had her U.S. to Texas passport revoked.
The horrible thing about it is that she's the good sister. I can't imagine who the bad sister voted for. Joseph Stalin?

[varon]

The second amendment means nothing if people don't use it and carry arms.

Also, the second amendment means nothing if the government is allowed selective application, modification, interpretation, control or to be decreed a privilege instead of a right.

[WFTR]

Where can we get "What Every Kid Should Know About the Second Amendment?"

[dhuffman@awod.com]

http://www.coon-n-crockett.org/2ndamend.htm

[WFTR]

I would have advised you to take the opposite approach with your sister.

For most of my life, I nominally supported the Second Amendment, but I probably would have supported restrictions designed to "weed out" people who were "too stupid" or "too unstable" to own firearms, particularly handguns. My few attempts at shooting had left me so frustrated that I while I liked handguns in concept, I disliked them in practice. Putting a few restrictions on them wouldn't have seemed so bad to me.

In 1992, the L.A. riots made me realize that if things went bad, maybe no one could protect me but myself. Unfortunately, I'm not quick enough or co-ordinated enough to be much of a fighter. Furthermore, no one can fight against a group of others without a very effective weapon. I saw an ad for a home safety and handgun course offered through the local adult education. The course was taught at a local police department and consisted of half a day of classroom instruction and a few hours of shooting. The officers who taught the course were good instructors, and I left the course believing that I could learn to shoot reasonably well.

That confidence changed everything for me. Afterwards, I realized that I had a stake in protecting the Second Amendment. In truth, I rarely get to shoot these days, but I spend a great deal of time supporting candidates who support the gun rights.

I don't know whether it would have made a difference for your sister, but I think many people would care more about gun rights if they had a better understanding of guns and weren't either intimidated or frustrated by them.

WFTR
Bill

[Eustace]

Which the states have been doing for years. Where I live in order to have a permit to carry you either have to be a city official or carry large sums of money.

People get around it with the money thing , appearantly having $500.00 or more on your person means you have the privilage of protecting yourself.

Me , I just carry. Not all the time , but when I travel with my family , my 45 comes along.

When I take my dog to the park ( which have become havens for perverts ) I take my pistol.

There's lots of things going on with licenses and us being seen as corporations in corporate courts or peasants in admirality courts. Neither one offers us the protections garaunteed under our Constitution. Only a Common Law court offers us the protections garaunteed by our Constitution.

Going to court is like going for a loan , no one is going to offer you the best deal for you , unless you know how to ask for it.

This goes pretty deep and most people don't believe it anyway , so I'll stop.

I believe in human rights regardless of color , religion , economic status , etc., etc.

FREEDOM is a choice , and I choose to remain Free right up till the point they shoot me , then I will really be FREE..............

GET AMERICA OUT OF THE UN AND THE UN OUT OF AMERICA

[waterstraat]

Well, actually, our right to bear arms, is endowed by our Creator. I have no idea what atheists think? or why they think they should be able to own guns.

[ninenot]

I don't think he's been nominated lately for office in the USA. However, he has several disciples: Kennedy, Schumer, Toricelli, Gray Davis, et al.

[ninenot]

Technically, it is the right to self-defense (right to life) that the Creator gave us. Now that does not necessarily mean guns: if one is built well and well-trained, fists may be sufficient. Knives, too.

Curiously, the Creator also allows us to sacrifice our lives for something greater--note that there are martyrs who died for the Faith. None of them, to my recollection, were declared martyrs if they died while killing a bunch of others, as is the apparent Muslim definition.

At the same time, while the Creator gave us the 'option' of self-defense, he did NOT give us an 'option' to defend our families. That is simply a MUST-DO. The best reason for arms is our families; next is ourselves.

Atheists can simply not believe they are going to die, I suppose....

[Pistolshot]

Excellent post. My kids learned to shoot at 8 yrs old, handguns at 15, the eldest are now in their 20's, female and armed. Woe to the a$$hole who tries to take any advantage of these two. My 10 yr old is a crack shot with an air rifle and 22. This year she learns the 1911.

It is a birthright that if, not passed along, or revisted frequently, will become tainted and tattered. It is the true basis for freedom.

[Shooter 2.5]

Thank you for the advice. I'll tell her your experiences.
My sister lives in a Chicago suburb and I had to show her all the stuff that clintoon had done over the years that the dem papers never told anyone. At least she never read it.
She's not intimidated by a whole lot. She's licensed for SCUBA and drives her motorcycle all over. She can tear down a transmission and rebuilt the interior of her house when the inner walls rotted. I gave her a ultralight aircraft lesson and she wants to skydive before she's sixty.
I can teach her because I taught Boy Scouts of two troops and handicapped kids who were blind and wheelchair bound.

[alfa6]

Bump for later find

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[teeman8r]

Also, the second amendment means nothing if the government is allowed selective application, modification, interpretation, control or to be decreed a privilege instead of a right

also, without the second, no other amendment is safe... that is why it is number two...

[Ancesthntr]

also, without the second, no other amendment is safe... that is why it is number two...

The order is immaterial. The text is all that matters (or should matter, anyway).

I wholeheartedly agree that no other amendment is safe without the 2nd. Hell, even with the 2nd they've pass "campaign finance reform" (a.k.a. political censorship, bye-bye 1st), we have no knock warrants (buh, bye 4th) and we have seizure laws galore (buh-bye 5th). Can you imagine what would happen if 80 million people weren't armed with 250-300 million guns?

[Ancesthntr]

Correction to previous post:

...they've passED...