(Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this letter are not necessarily those of  The Smoke Signal or its staff.)

Dear Editor,

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Constitution of United States of America; Amendment II). This is the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, and it states that Americans have the right to bear arms. Americans are given the right to defend themselves and their families if necessary. Given the recent gun violence and mass shootings, Americans are debating how to prevent more deaths while not taking away their rights.

Many People are fighting to have very strict gun control laws enacted. In some cases, people believe the Second Amendment should be abolished. In the aftermath of the Parkland School shooting, the gun control advocates feel emboldened to push for various types of restrictions. On the other side of the debate, gun rights advocates are making their case and have sighted several cases where a “good guy with a gun” was able to prevent more significant damage. When you remove the emotion out of the argument, the facts do not support taking away law abiding citizens’ guns.

In 1982, Chicago announced that they will have a handgun freeze. Since then Chicago has enacted the strictest gun laws in the nation, and yet they surpass every other major city in the United States in gun violence. In 2017, Chicago saw 2,785 shootings, and 650 murders due to gun violence. What is evident in Chicago, and more broadly in other places with strict gun control laws, is that criminals do not follow these laws. How is it that in a city with the strictest gun control laws, there is still an insane amount of gun violence? There is no question we need to get illegal guns off the streets, and to make sure criminals and mentally ill people do not get access to weapons. The answer is not to take away Americans basic right to self defense.

The right to bear arms may sound like an old fashioned term that doesn’t apply in today’s world. People just assume that the police and the government will protect them. But as we have recently experienced, the government can fail in cases where the citizens have provided a lot of evidence. For people who live in rural areas of the country, access to services like the police could be very far away. How does the small store owner in a dangerous city protect him or herself from harm and theft? If we lose our Second Amendment, many people will be left without a way of protecting themselves. Criminals will continue to get guns illegally, and law abiding American citizens will have no means of protection. Guns are a way to protect ourselves, our families, and our businesses and property.

The right to bear arms is a very basic individual right of every American.  We have many restrictions and regulations on the purchase and ownership of guns.  States have very different laws. The idea of having rules and safeguards in place makes sense. But the argument that all guns are bad and that gun rights equals murder is offensive and disingenuous. Debates should be based on facts and ideas, not insults and demands of change solely for the sake of change.

A recent shooting that has gotten very little mainstream media attention was in a high school in Maryland and is a very good example of how guns can save lives. A student opened fire in a school, and a guard who was armed responded within sixty seconds, stopping the shooter and saving many lives. If this guard did not have a gun, the shooter may have been able to kill many people.  Even with most of the gun reform being pushed, it would not have helped as this shooter obtained the gun illegally. People who are evil or mentally ill and want to murder people will find a way. In London, where guns are banned, they have recently started banning knives due to the high rate of knife attacks. Honesty in any debate is required in order to solve the problem.  There is no evidence that legal gun owners are in any way the primary problem related to gun violence.

The Bill of Rights gives American citizens certain inalienable rights. These are rights given to us as human beings, not just by our government. These rights are not to be taken lightly and should be defended and respected. The right of every human being to protect themselves is pretty basic. No man nor any government should take that away from us.