When
Discussing the Second Amendment, Keep the First in Mind Too
By Jay Carney,
White House Press Secretary
Thank you for
participating in We the People to speak out on an issue that matters to you.
Let’s not let
arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its
First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an
individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an
individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the
freedom of the press -- fundamental principles that are essential to our
democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those
disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply
because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment -- or any other
matter of public concern.
Look, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment
guarantees an individual right to bear arms. This country has a strong tradition
of gun ownership that's been handed down from generation to generation.
Obviously across the country there are regional differences. There are
differences between how people feel in urban areas and rural areas. And the fact
is the vast majority of gun owners in America are responsible -- they buy their
guns legally and they use them safely, whether for hunting or sport shooting,
collection or protection.
But you know what, I am also betting that the majority -- the vast majority
-- of responsible, law-abiding gun owners would be some of the first to say that
we should be able to keep an irresponsible, law-breaking few from buying a
weapon of war. I'm willing to bet that they don't think that using a gun and
using common sense are incompatible ideas -- that an unbalanced man shouldn't be
able to get his hands on a military-style assault rifle so easily; that in this
age of technology, we should be able to check someone's criminal records before
he or she can check out at a gun show; that if we work harder to keep guns out
of the hands of dangerous people, there would be fewer atrocities like the one
in Newtown -- or any of the lesser-known tragedies that visit small towns and
big cities all across America every day.
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