When the founders wrote the United States Constitution, many of them felt that it did not do enough to constrain the activities of government officials and is the reason why the Bill of Rights was written.  In the preamble to the Bill of Rights the founders state very succinctly that  the Bill of Rights are even further restrictions on the power of government clarifying even more as to what government officials are forbidden to do in order to help build confidence in government for the benefit of all individuals. 

 

The Second Amendment restricts government officials from making laws infringing upon the right of individuals to keep and bear arms.  It makes no mention as to the types of arms upon which those restrictions are placed.  It also does not prevent private individuals and private businesses from placing restrictions on others to keep and bear arms in their homes and workplace. 

 

With the recent killings on college campuses and even here in Yuma at the Yuma Regional Shopping Mall, the call for more government control of firearms continues even though every single gun control law on the books violates the Second Amendment.  Many argue that guns kill and are the reason for all government restrictions on firearms.  However, that is like arguing that pens and pencils cause misspelled words. 

 

The beauty of the free society that the founders bequeathed to us is that by enforcing private property rights, government officials are in a position not to interfere with the peaceful lives of individuals thereby leaving them alone to make their own decisions about their own lives and property. 

 

There is currently a bill being debated in the Arizona state legislature to allow teachers and students who possess a state permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring a weapon onto campus.  There is also a bill before the state legislature to allow business owners who own businesses that serve alcohol to post signs if they do not want firearms on their grounds.  Currently, Arizona law does not allow weapons on school property or where alcohol is served. 

 

Because the founders supported the rights of private property owners, the decision as to whether weapons were allowed anywhere was decided by the individual property owner, not government officials.  It was and still is against the law, since the Bill of Rights still exists, for government officials to decide when and where any firearms are allowed. 

 

However, because schools are owned and operated by government a conflict arises with the Second Amendment.  If schools were not owned and operated by government, but were owned privately, there would be no conflict with the Second Amendment and the decision whether to allow weapons on campus would be made by the owner. 

 

Since private property to some degree still exists in the serving of alcohol, there is no conflict with the Second Amendment and private individuals and businesses already have the right to decide for themselves whether to allow weapons on their property.  Government officials have no business to interfere with this decision. 

 

Government officials also have no business whether to allow an individual to carry a concealed weapon.  The Second Amendment forbids it. 

 

If a free society is to be maintained, then the Bill of Rights must be honored by all individuals, especially government officials for whom it is intended.  Individuals would then have to take responsibility of their own property and lives and make decisions about them instead of turning those decisions over to government officials. 

 

By giving up the individual responsibility of making such decisions, the individual gives up his inalienable rights removing the very restrictions on government that the founders intended with tyranny being the end result.   

 

Tomorrow, February 21 at 7 PM at The Freedom Library, local author Georgina Schaff will discuss, “The Right to Die with Dignity” from her book entitled, “As I Remember Grandma.”  The public is invited to attend free of charge.