2^nd Amendment Rights — The Right to keep and bear arms.
by Jim Crawford

Position Statement on Gun Control          (We need "Crime control," not Gun control.)

"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it."   - Daniel Webster

Our forefathers had to survive on the land and depend heavily on their shooting skills. To them, the right "to bear arms" was not only a precious Constitutional protection, but was necessary for survival. There are many politicians who think that the time has passed when guns should be Constitutionally protected. We should vote those politicians out of office. They just don’t get it!

I am against gun control for law-abiding citizens (and that's over 99.9% of us). 
Our founding fathers gave the American people the right to bear arms and they knew exactly what they were doing. It is no accident that it is No. 2 in The Bill of Rights, right behind the first priorities of Freedom of Religion and the Press. We must defend our right to protect our lives, our property, and our country — from enemies both foreign and domestic.

The second amendment is quite simple and clear: "Right To Bear Arms: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." (For a definition of what the founders meant by "militia" - see the quotes below from George Mason and Sam Adams.)

There is no ambiguity in the second amendment, yet most of America's largest cities are imposing all sorts of unconstitutional laws, limiting and sometimes completely outlawing "the right to bear arms."

The local and national media and the extremist, left-wing liberals (including some of our own elected officials) are in an outright war to eliminate this precious constitutional right. We need to get rid of such socialist leaning politicians.  Socialists and Fascists are the ones who want gun control, not freedom loving Americans —just look at Hitler's Germany and the former USSR.

Of course, as with any right, comes responsibility. I favor increasing the penalty for crimes committed with guns. Make it a no-parole offense. We need "Crime control," not Gun control.

Many well intentioned folks still believe that gun control legislation will reduce crime and will make our streets and cities safer. Not true. "Guns don't kill people, people do." Where guns are outlawed, only the criminals have guns. Neither do statistics support such idealism. As an example, Washington DC has some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, yet it is consistently at or near the top for gun-related killings. Gun control laws simply do not stop criminals. Think about it. Would a person about to commit a felony care about committing a misdemeanor (i.e. having an unregistered gun) too?

Statistics support the fact that there is less crime in areas where citizens can and do carry concealed weapons. Doesn't it make sense that if just one teacher or adult in Columbine High School would have had access to a gun themselves, innocent lives could have been saved? For example, that's exactly how they stopped the shooter at the law school in southwestern Virginia in January, 2002. 

Now we all know of a country which passed the first gun registration legislation. Then they went on to totally outlaw gun ownership. I don't think America should follow that country's lead:

"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!"     Adolph Hitler, 1935

Sound familiar? That's because we hear the same thing from the left-wing liberals and socialists of our day - in our own government !

Constitutionally protected "gun owner rights" was a good idea in the late1700s and an even better one now. An armed citizenry will give pause to every enemy, whether external or internal. 
I will not bend on this issue – EVER!

And a word from our Founding Fathers and their opinion of gun control:

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events occurrences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
— George Washington

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in Government."
— Thomas Jefferson, Author of The Declaration of Independence, and President of the United States.