Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Read other letters about this article
Repeal the Second Amendment
The best way to reduce the odds of another blood bath like the one at Virginia Tech is to amend the Constitution and abolish the right to bear arms.
By Walter Shapiro [2007-04-18]

  • Repealing the 2nd Amendment and banning guns are NOT equivalent

    Yes, a ban on guns would be inffective, but Shapiro didn't call for that. Repealing the 2nd Amendment wouldn't be a gun ban; it would simply allow legislatures to regulate gun ownership however we see fit without the obstacle of that amendment.

    And no, the absence of guns wouldn't prevent incidents like the one at Virginia Tech, but Shapiro never said it would. While determined lunatics will still find a way to do harm, guns make it a lot easier to do harm, and it's almost axiomatic that making it more difficult to acquire guns will reduce (in the aggregate) the frequency and carnage of deadly rampages.

    Also, the biggest delusion in this argument has got to be the idea that gun ownership, enabled by the 2nd Amendment, give us the ability to defend ourself against (let alone overthrow!) a tyrannical government. We're long past the time when even organized militias (let alone individuals) can effectively defend themselves against the military power of our government.

    -- Tom 70
    [Read Tom 70's other letters]
    Thursday, April 19, 2007 08:55 AM
Read other letters about this article

Letters Help