Protect? Or Control?
I am not sure what the response will be to this post…but here we go…
My friend @edfromct posted a link to an article via Twitter tonight. A town hall meeting was held in New Hampshire and it was attended by President Obama. No biggie, there are protestors at most all political events. So what was the deal? This man was carrying a 9mm pistol. Strapped to his leg. And it was legal. He was allowed to stand in the open with a 9mm strapped to his leg, while President Obama and others were discussing health care reform.
Here is the link to the article…
First of all, this is not a discussion over gun control. If you want to make it that…fine. but that’s not the point here.
This man was exercising his legal right to own and bear arms and to do that in a legal manner and he respected the weapon and did not to use it in an illegal way. In this day and age, we obviously have concerns over the misuse and danger of guns. But I am very grateful that this occasion did not turn out to be another blunder by our government officials. No doubt he made a bold statement today. But, it was treated as nothing more than that.
Don’t get me wrong. Our President and others need to be safe, but we cannot take freedoms away (as our country is doing) in hopes of controlling a person or persons from doing something dumb or dangerous. I am actually very grateful that this man was allowed to do what he did. He proved his control and maturity. He exercised his legal rights. It gives me a vote of confidence in the officials that regulated and protected this event. This speaks volumes to me.
What bums me out is the attitude of the media involved. Take this comment from the live reporter on MSNBC…
“You’re saying a guy has a gun in the open – where we already know there are concerns about every president’s safety, but certainly this president … and the guy’s just being allowed to stay there? Is that right”
This is an attitude that SCARES ME! This reporter felt it was better to control and restrict, illegally, a person for actions that might or might not happen. And to this reporter, that kind of enforcement seemed appropriate, even normal.
Whether you agree with gun control or not, is not the issue. If guns were not allowed, than this man would not have the right to do what he was doing and would have been arrested or removed. BUT, guns are legal, so we need to be cautious of becoming a people that feel, we know better, and in turn begin restricting freedoms, even if they are legal.
I am disappointed with the direction our country is going. And I refuse to blame only Obama or the Senate. It goes all the way to the chairs and couches of every house in America that chooses to take on this attitude. And so often we mask these issues of control with a fuzzy pink bow and say it is “for our protection”. Our country is no longer in the business of “protection”. It’s in the business of “fix – it”. The need to “fix” our problems is a control issue. We are not a country of control, but of freedom. Once we stop protecting our freedoms, we move on to “controlling” our rights. I am sure seeing a lot of this. The story today, gives me hope that some are still interested in freedom and not control.









