The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Opinion

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
This is the oath of office for Congressmen, Senators and the President of the United States, as set forth in the U.S. Constitution. As such, we need to make sure whoever we vote into office will do that.
This includes when a portion of the Constitution is deemed politically incorrect or when people abuse their rights, such as the Second Amendment.
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is on the record for supporting a ban against carrying concealed weapons.
In an era when gun rights are being restricted, the ban would stop guns from being carried - whether concealed or not - in some states, which is in conflict with the Second Amendment, "the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Gun control legislation, which has ignored this right, has made ownership and the bearing of firearms increasingly more difficult. In most states, open carry laws are actually stricter than their concealed carry counterparts.
In South Carolina, it's completely illegal to openly carry a firearm. Therefore, considering Obama's proposed ban, it would be illegal in all cases to carry a gun in the state.
However, the fact remains, as Gun Owners of America points out, the government has no authority to license or register a Constitutional right. They also note that, "The Supreme Court held in Lamont v. Postmaster General (1965) that the First Amendment prevents the government from registering purchasers of magazines and newspapers -- even if such material is 'communist political propaganda.'"
If the Supreme Court ruled 43 years ago that the government has no right to record and restrict who buys what in regards to the press, what right do they have to record and restrict the rights to own and carry a weapon?
The language in the First and Second Amendments is specific. ("Congress shall make no law," and "shall not be infringed.")
While it's a tragedy that guns have to exist, the Founding Fathers understood that we should be able to bear firearms because they knew that sometimes people have to protect themselves.
I'm not a big person. My 5-foot, 11-inch, 150-pound frame could not handle an assault from someone who is 6 feet, 6 inches and 270 pounds.
There lies the beauty of the Constitution. Every piece of it looks out for the little guy -even physically - so the little guy can better take care of himself.
So when you hear our Democrat friends say they are looking out for the little guy, tell them it is not true if they are trying to restrict our guaranteed gun rights.

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