More on Gun Regulations

I would like to thank Professor Wolf (GT opinion, April 28, 2023) for putting the Second Amendment in its proper historical perspective, and for emphasizing that the right of the people to bear arms was in reference to a well-regulated militia (i.e., our National Guard). However, to repeal it would be an impossible goal in the current political climate.

First, an amendment must be passed by a two-third majority vote in both of the House and Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Then three-quarters of the voting states have to ratify it. I don’t see how we can gather such a super-majority nationally, even when most Americans support some degree of gun control. 

There are however other ways to achieve reasonable gun regulations. We can vote out legislators who refuse to restrict private ownership of assault-style weapon or take donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA). We must demand reforms inside the Supreme Court, whose members, appointed for life, no longer feel accountable for their extremist ideologies. The NRA is just an extension of the gun industry, so we should its end its tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. We can stop the easy availability of firearms by enforcing expanded background checks and by adopting buyback programs that worked well in other countries. Most of all, we must dissociate ourselves from the myth of the American Rambo gun culture, and teach our children how to be strong and safe without having to carry a gun.

(Submitted on May 3, 2023; published in the Gazette Times, Corvallis, June 7, 2023)