The Hypocriscy Of Gun Rights

In the wake of the tragic killings at Virginia Tech gun control and the 'right to bear arms' have once again reared their heads. Gun control advocates have soberly pointed out that with increased regulation and legislation of firearms the ability of an individual to perpetrate such a massacre would be drastically reduced. 'Gun rights' proponents have ludicrously claimed that if there were less restrictions on carrying concealed weapons on campuses that someone could have killed the shooter before he had murdered so many innocents.

Supporters of 'gun rights' rely on the Second Amendment as the base to their argument. Advocates of gun control hold that the Second Amendment is less straightforward and does not necessarily codify a notion of 'gun rights.'

Right-wing pundits and politicians are quick to advocate laxer gun laws and point to the Second Amendment. With the other hand they point to the attacks of September 11th and citing terrorism they insist that curtailing our rights under the Patriot Act and via unilateral and lawless actions of the President, are necessary for our national security and protection in today's world. These advocates who hold the Second Amendment sacrosanct as a piece of our Constitution so quickly dismiss the other rights codified more explicitly in the Bill of Rights. The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments have been cast aside and barely a peep has been uttered by the national media or the public at large. The same politicians who wave the Constitution when defending their guns, rend it to pieces and trample upon the people's rights indiscriminately when it comes to empowering President Bush and his Administration.

Those who argue that some rights must be lost or foreshortened in exchange for greater security may not also argue that gun control unjustly curtails their rights. It is hypocritical in the extreme and disgusting to the conscience.