Where is the liberty?

My rights are being violated.

I support the right to bear arms and am confident the Founding Fathers were unified in their goal of American liberty, being free from oppressive governmental restrictions on one’s way of life.

The Preamble says that in forming a more perfect union, we the people must secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and future generations. But they can’t be secured if common people can purchase weapons meant for wartime and use them to brutally murder and wound innocents – including police, deputies and firefighters.

A radio host referred to the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history as that horrific “thing” that took place in Las Vegas. That “thing” happened, not because the shooter was protecting himself or his property, but because of laws allowing just about anyone to obtain just about any type of gun.

Laws favoring broad access to guns over those protecting the fiancé, teacher or college student seeking to be safe while having fun at a concert, are trumping our right to live lives of “liberty.” After all, what is liberty if we must take pause and look over our shoulder for the next mass shooter?

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Where is the liberty?."