Guns — The Devil’s Tools?

If you’re a regular visitor to Island Park, chances are you’ve hunted here.  Even if you’ve come to hike, fish,  ride your ATV, pick huckleberries, etc., etc., etc., you’ve very likely carried a gun with you as insurance against predators.  If you live here, you almost certainly have a gun (or two, or three) tucked away for a rainy day.  In today’s political climate, guns are a hot topic.  There are many who would outlaw them because they kill people (funny they don’t want to outlaw cars for the same reason — or tobacco or alcohol for that matter.)

Then there are those who point to the second amendment right to keep and bear arms.  There are those in government who would have you believe that the second amendment was to keep and bear hunting / sporting arms.  But it’s clear from this qoute by Thomas Jefferson that that’s not the case.  Here’s what he had to say:

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

Or this by George Washington:

The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.
George Washington

Or this by George Washington:

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.
George Washington

It’s pretty clear from these quotes from the founding fathers what they thought of the right to bear arms and why they wrote it into the constitution in such a place of prominence.  

Today as politicians mull over how to strip honest citizens of these rights, the people are hedging their bets.  Gun sales (especially unregistered gun sales) are brisk in our area (and just about everywhere else, as I understand it.)  Everyone’s trying to beat the pending legislation.  And if you think gun sales are brisk, you ought to see what they’re doing in ammunition around here!  One thing’s for certain: change is coming.  It could be now or never.  If you care, better get stocked up.