Gun Worship

The Supreme Court says we get to have guns.

This makes President Bush happy.

From High court strikes down gun ban by Bill Mears:

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a sweeping ban on handguns in the nation's capital violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

In a statement, President Bush also praised the decision, saying he agreed with the court's interpretation of the Constitution.

On a local television news broadcast last night a person being interviewed at a gun shop said that gun ownership was a right granted to us by God. I have never heard that one before, and do not know how one goes about proving it.

My neighbors and fellow citizens of the United States have a hard time keeping themselves safe when using automobiles and fireworks. The intended functions of both are not meant to cause any bodily harm or death, yet they do.

“In 2006, eleven people died and an estimated 9,200 were treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the United States.” Fireworks are illegal where I live, yet every Fourth of July brings me the fear of my property being set on fire by one of my neighbors. They have managed to do this in the past, so it seems likely that they may do it again.

“In 2006, 42,642 people were killed in traffic accidents.” All these deaths from a machine whose function is transportation. A machine that requires a license, registration, insurance, an age requirement, and the passing of a test before it can be operated anywhere in the United States.

So when the Supreme Court says that my fellow Americans and my neighbors have the right to have a device in their homes whose main function is to kill, I get a little nervous.

My neighbors are irresponsible in their use of automobiles and fireworks. I don’t have much faith that they will use firearms responsibly either. And of course, they already don't.

Since the Constitution supposedly (and apparently even the Almighty) says that my neighbors can have guns in their homes, could we at least take some steps to ensure that they use them as safely as possible? Things like a license, registration, insurance, an age requirement, and the passing of a test before they can be operated anywhere in the United States might be a good start.

After all, I can't pursue my Constitutionally (actually the Declaration of Independence, but close enough) protected right to the pursuit of happiness if I'm dead.