The Second Amendment and Responsible Gun Ownership

We can support both the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership This year for Veterans Day observances, when our nation honors those ...

We can support both the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership

This year for Veterans Day observances, when our nation honors those who served in the military, we are asking you to reflect on the oath we took and consider your role, as civilians, in helping us uphold it. Because right now in Tennessee, the safety of our people is being challenged.

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic....”

As citizens of our great nation, our right to keep and bear arms is clearly outlined in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. We each support and defend the Second Amendment, and we exercise this right ourselves.

However, many extreme interpretations of the Second Amendment ignore the responsibilities of those who chose to keep and bear arms. These interpretations are incomplete and have had dangerous outcomes that have cost innocent lives. They are challenging the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness upon which our country was founded.

We must find balance on liberty and responsibility In Tennessee, gun violence and gun-related tragedies have skyrocketed in recent years. Guns are the No. 1 killer of children. Additionally, as veterans, we know all too well the heartbreak of suicide. In Tennessee, 52% of suicides are by firearms.

We are veterans who support and defend the Constitution - including the Second Amendment.  We are also parents and community members who are living with heightened concern for where the next tragedy will occur. Dropping our children off at school or going to a football game should not be anxiety-ridden for our family members, and yet they are. Whether you live in a city or in a rural community, nobody is immune to the threat and concern of gun violence or gun-related tragedies.

We must find balance. We must protect the Second Amendment, but mightily defend life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for our people. And we can.

Safety and responsibility is the right place to start.

It is difficult for us to ignore the drastic inconsistency between the level of responsibility  for firearm safety to which members of the military are held compared to that of civilians. We received extensive and exhaustive training prior to ever touching a firearm. Contrary to what is sometimes portrayed in movies and video games, military members seldom have access to live ammunition outside of highly controlled training environments or combat environments.