LETTER: Elections, not guns, cure tyranny

To the Telegram:

A person wrote the other day in the Star-Tribune that the 2nd amendment was not written for hunting and fishing and that the type of weapons permitted by the amendment are irrelevant. It was written, he says, to protect citizens from the tyranny of the government. He quoted Thomas Jefferson who said: “When the government fears the people, there is liberty and when the people fear the government there is tyranny.” Jefferson also said “The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

The gentleman went on with what I believe is a somewhat warped rational, saying “if the government has automatic weapons and is coming after me for my guns, I want automatic weapons to keep them away. This is not how many shots it takes to kill a deer, the federal government is our servant, not our master.”

Wow, it sounds like the gentleman is a little paranoid. I agree with him though, the government does work for us, not the other way around. This is why we have things like elections and a constitution and laws. I probably should mention the government, has all sorts of weapons, rocket launchers, tanks, even nuclear weapons. Would he want some of those also, to just sort of even things out?

George Richard,

New Richmond

Tags: opinion, letters