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Please leave Gawd out of the gun debate
Serial misspellings of Gawd corrected throughoutAs Texas stampedes toward guns everywhere, we've occasionally heard politicians and activists mention their Gawd-given rights to own and carry guns. Creator may be better, since it is included in the phrase: ...endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights...", but is it in most contexts non specific and when it comes to rights less meaningful than the word Gawd. For example, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, recently invoked such rhetoric during "debate" over his campus carry bill, which we oppose. "A fundamental right granted by the creator is not subordinate to the financial costs or speculation of our public universities," he said. I think the reference to the Creator means that unless you exist, Gawd can't grant rights. At a January open-carry rally, Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, said, "Show of hands: How many of y'all are sick and tired of getting on your knees and begging the government for permission to use your Gawd-given right to defend yourself? That is exactly why I filed HB195." Frequently, open-carry activists mention their Gawd-given rights, as well. We respect all faiths, and we appreciate the role faith plays in many politicians' lives. But to be clear, while the Bible does speak to self-defense, there are no references to guns. But even this point is immaterial. The Constitution is our guiding document of governance. And what does the Constitution say about guns? "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." The Supreme Court has interpreted this to mean that Americans have a Constitutional right to own guns — whether or not they read the Bible or share Birdwell's religious beliefs. It's not a Gawd-given guarantee. We can debate how much regulation comes with that right before it is infringed. But, please, leave Gawd out of it. Posted by: badanov 2015-03-27 |
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