I am pro choice. I mean that in terms of reproductive health, religion, musical tastes, free speech, immigration, emigration, diet, marriage and even guns. Guns are the toughest to be pro choice about, because while you can not force me to marry anyone, get a vasectomy, move, listen to NWA or Christian rock in my home, you might shoot me. You make the decision what to spend your money on, but if it is a gun I can only hope you do not kill me when I accidentally cut you off in traffic.
Gun ownership is a right. Like free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, the right to be secure in your home, it is a right. Gun ownership is a right that statistically will be more likely to lead to suicide than protecting your home, but it is a right.
The argument for gun control which states that our founding fathers used black powder rifles and muskets and never imagined that we would have automatic, semi automatic, incredibly advanced remote control hole punches is simply a bad argument. The founding fathers also never imagined that we would have access to computers, photocopy machines, radio stations, podcasts and telephone poles to post on. Maybe Ben Franklin had some clairvoyance, he was pretty imaginative. Does that mean we should only be able to use the technology available in 1776 or 1792 when we got the bill of rights? Should we be able to only select from faiths and non faiths available at that time? Should abortions be restricted to the technology available in 1973?
Can we respect other people's decisions? The choices we make affect others, whether we like it or not. From the size of our car, the size of our house, if and how much we recycle who we vote for, our choices effect others. If you choose to buy a gun I hope it never effects me. I hope I never get shot by you, that you shoot yourself and we loose a neighbor, that your gun is stolen or found by a toddler. Or that you do that vague threatening thing where you have a gun sticker on your car that lets everyone know you have the power to kill.
The first amendment is dangerous. It covers everything from Anne Geddes adorable kid pictures to the ultra violent snuff films that are Hollywood's bread and butter. It covers all the misleading awful things on right wing radio. It covers everything!I do not want limits on first amendment rights.
So if a right is something that can not be denied, how do we reconcile or rights with the decisions of others?
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