An Open Letter to the Responsible Gun Owner

Dear Responsible Gun Owner,

Something insidious is being done in your good name.  Some really bad apples out there are trashing the 2nd Amendment. Their worrisome actions are shedding new light on an old debate. If they aren’t stopped soon, violence may ensue and your fundamental right to bear arms may be infringed. Quite simply, they might spoil things for you.

Who are these bad apples? Liberal Democrats in Congress? The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence? Michael Moore and that Hollywood crowd? No, I’m talking about your fellow armed citizens who lately have been using their weapons to bully and intimidate. Though staying within the parameters of current state laws, these folks are wearing their guns like jewelry in an attempt to influence the political discourse. They are not displaying their guns for protection or–as the current interpretation of the law under the 2008 Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller allows–for “the purpose of immediate self-defense.” Instead, they are making a statement. What should be distressing to you, lawful gun owner, is that the statement has nothing to do with gun rights.

One gun toting individual at an Obama event in New Hampshire held up a sign that said “It’s Time to Water the Tree of Liberty,” a reference to this famous quote from Thomas Jefferson: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” The meaning is pretty clear. This guy wants Obama’s head and he’s backing up his sentiments with a Glock pistol. At that moment his rights under the Constitution appear arguably stronger than those of the unarmed citizen standing next to him. His 1st Amendment rights have the force of 2nd Amendment semi-automatic firepower.

As a responsible gun owner you may be asking, what could possibly motivate someone to bring a loaded gun to a town hall meeting or a Presidential event? If we accept the mendacious argument that the person is bringing a gun for protection, then the right of armed self defense can ultimately be stretched to ridiculous lengths. It would be logical to allow the open display of firearms at youth soccer games, in church, or while jogging in a 5K charity run. By the same token, it would be perfectly sensible for any passenger on any commercial flight to be packing heat, especially since airplanes are targets for terrorists.

But this is not about self-defense. This guy has a political agenda. He wants ‘his’ America back. He believes that by abusing the words of Thomas Jefferson, he can somehow legitimize acts of violence against his government. He shares a common bond with many in the militia movement. He is philosophically tied to folks like James Von Brunn who shot and killed a security guard at the Holocaust Museum in Washington and Timothy McVeigh who, on the day he murdered 168 innocent men, women, and children in Oklahoma City, also purportedly wore a T-shirt that said “It’s Time to Water the Tree of Liberty.”

As a law abiding gun owner you may argue that it is unfair to make this comparison, that this is a case of guilt by association. Though this may be an accurate criticism, perception is more powerful than reality when the media tends to focus on the wackos. Where is your voice, responsible gun owner? You are letting the people on the fringe speak for you. These misguided souls are going well beyond the common acceptable practice of 2nd Amendment rights and they are doing it in your name. They are getting attention from anti-gun activists who want to restrict your rights. There are many test cases winding their way to the Supreme Court. If Obama gets the chance to appoint another justice or two, this added attention will not help your cause. If one of these guys actually commits an act of violence, it could be really bad for you and your annual hunting trip, if not to mention the country.

The gun wielding protesters are not the only advocates who speak for you. The National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America are very visible in this debate and often take positions that stretch the boundaries of common sense. In a truly shocking example of reductionism, John Valleco of the GOA recently admitted on Chris Matthew’s Hardball program that he not only supports guns at rallies, he finds nothing wrong with a hypothetical wherein the President of the United States would speak to a gym full of armed Americans. Could you imagine the Secret Service detail on that gig?

I’m just an old school liberal Democrat; why should you listen to me? Because I’ve got your back. It is in our mutual interest to help each other. Though I believe strongly in strict gun control, I will support the lawful and reasonable exercise of your 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. In exchange, I would hope that you would speak out against those who abuse that right in your good name. Resign your membership to the NRA or GOA. If you can’t go that far, at least let the leadership of those organizations know that fomenting an atmosphere of violence is not in the long term interests of gun owners. The intersection of guns and politics has a dark history in America. Four presidents have been assassinated. In the past 46 years alone, one president has died by the bullet and two more–Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan–narrowly escaped death. In that same span of years the murder of other prominent leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr, Robert F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X have left a dark stain upon the national psyche. Please, make my day. In the name of peace, civility, and common sense, let’s strike a deal. You keep your guns and we keep our presidents safe.