To the editor:

The Constitution was ordained and established for the United States of America. This agreement is impossible to violate and sets the parameters for states’ rights. The people must obey the law and the law must conform to the Constitution. Many believe that the Second Amendment gave the right to keep and bear arms. Having guns and horses preceded the adoption and ratification of the Constitution. The Second Amendment did not guarantee a right, on the contrary it laid the framework for gun control.

A closer look at the wording of this amendment is helpful: a (singular) well-regulated (command structured) militia (armed uniformed force) being necessary to the security (defense) of a free state (sovereignty) the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed (altered, abridged). By limiting that infringement-proof status only to the people in the militia consequently made the right to keep and bear arms of all others infringable. Some interpret the phrase “the right of the people to keep and hear arms shall not be infringed” as a declaration applicable to all and other believe the words “militia” and “people” are interchangeable. If either of these interpretations were accepted, what would stop anyone, ranging from the mentally ill and the incarcerated, from filing and winning a lawsuit in federal court claiming his/her right to keep and bear arms was violated because the law allowing such a takeaway was unconstitutional?

Most people will agree that Iran should not have nuclear weapons regardless of the country’s right to defend its borders and citizens. Countries are allowed to have ground forces, jet fighters, bombers, ships, tanks, etc. but, because of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons, efforts have always been made to limit their spread; remember the SALT talks led by President Nixon and the Soviet leader Brezhnev. Interestingly, the argument that nuclear weapons don’t kill people but the leaders who give the orders do has never been advocated. The tragedy at the elementary school in Newtown should make us acknowledge that having hand guns, hunting rifles, and shotguns is sufficient for personal security, home protection, and hunting. And the carnage at Newtown should force us to view military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazine clips as the nuclear weapons in community life and as such the response should be to ban or at least limit their spread by any means necessary.

Melvin Spruill

Laurinburg