I grew up target shooting and hunting with my father, who loved guns. I still have the deer rifle he gave me when I turned 11. He had a variety of guns — we found over 50 in his house after he died — though he never felt the need for an assault rifle nor any other semi-automatic weapon capable of mass murder. That wasn’t his thing, nor is it mine, though I’ve owned other guns over the years, still enjoy shooting and have taught my kids to shoot.
The right to self-defense is protected — not by the Second Amendment, which was intended for those participating in “well-regulated militias” – but by the Ninth Amendment (where, incidentally, our right to privacy is also found). But no one needs an assault rifle for self-defense.
No civilized country has mass shootings every week, practically every day. That’s right: While America is a great country in many respects, in this respect, it’s not civilized. It’s time we grew up.
— Rick Wicks
Anchorage
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