My Response to John Sigler, NRA

"Definitively Absurd"
A family member of mine forwarded an article to me earlier this week, but her email had no commentary on the content. The article, recently published in American Rifleman magazine, was titled "A True Threat to Freedom" and written by John C. Sigler, the successor to the late Charlton Heston as president of the NRA.

In the article, Sigler berates Barack Obama and his stance on , among other things, the ownership and possession of assault weapons. Sigler claims that if Obama's policies are translated into successful legislation if he is elected president, it would be a violation against alleged rights that Sigler believes are granted by the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

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The Intratec TEC DC-9 semi-automatic handgun. It was one of the two assault weapons used by Eric Harris to slay several of his fellow students before killing himself at Columbine High School in 1999.	The .22 caliber Walther 22 semi-automatic handgun. It was one of the two assault weapons used by Seung-Hui Cho to kill 32 of his fellow students, and then himself, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2007. It was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

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Reply to All
Here is my response to the article and its subject, which I sent via email back to my dear cousin:

Thanks for sharing this article with me. I wanted to follow up with my thoughts on the subject.

The topic, of course, is the Second Amendment. The issue is some conflicting interpretations of that amendment. The concern – as expressed by John Sigler – is a perceived threat to some alleged rights, which are based on his interpretation.

It is appropriate that we are clear on the topic, so I'll start at point 'A'.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

That's it. There are no additional statements, inclusions, exclusions, or clauses. When I read that sentence, its meaning cannot be more clear to me. No "interpretation" is necessary – it is written in comprehensive English.

But there are many who claim that this sentence grants virtually limitless rights with respect to the possession of firearms.

Let me quickly address two statements made in the article. Sigler claims that Barack Obama represents a "true threat to freedom," and that the Second Amendment is the "most fundamental civil right." Both of these statements are definitively absurd – that is, utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false.

With regard to Barack Obama's voting record on various aspects of firearm laws, I'm afraid I'm unable to go down Sigler's list to confirm the information or that he is presenting it in the correct context.

What I can tell you is that, if I were a lawmaker, the votes I would cast would likely be nearly identical to those of Barack Obama. As Obama is a Senator of Illinois, where I currently live, I am very happy with the votes he has cast on behalf of my state.

I won't go into a lengthy discussion on statistics, such as the most recent data showing that more than 30,000 people are slain by firearms every year in the United States. Only a tiny fraction of those are the result of self-defense.

Nor will I go on and on about alternative means of defending ones family, such as baseball bats (both metal and wooden are equally effective), one or two ferocious dogs (or even a "Beware of Dog" sign), home security systems, and prayer!

Here's what Barack, myself, and countless other Americans believe:We believe possession of firearms should be "well regulated," just as the Second Amendment states. We believe that game hunters should be able to live long happy lives filling their bellies with venison in all its delicious forms, and adorning their walls with antlers as evidence to their wild hunting tales. And we believe that making it illegal for anyone to own or possess assault weapons is preferable to every American home becoming its own militia.

All the best,

Jason