NEWS
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he Second Amendment may be one of the most controversially interpreted parts of the Constitution. In exact words, it reads, “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.” Some believe this right to be in reference to the state, while others see it to be protecting the individual citizen’s ability to possess firearms. Across the United States from Virginia to Colorado, this debate has been intensifying with members of the government and the people both for and against guns. On December 9th at the Virginia state capitol, hundreds attended the “God, Family, Guns” rally in opposition to Governor Ralph Northam and lawmakers who are proposing gun control legislation in the upcoming assembly session. Senate Bill 16, if passed, will make certain guns illegal and prohibit anyone under 18 from using a gun without an adult present. In defense of the bill, Northam said “[Gun owners] don’t want unconstitutional laws. Well, we’re not going to pass any unconstitutional laws. At the end of the day, this is about keeping guns out of the hands of prohibited individuals.” Many disagree, however. “The right to self-defense is not a right that is given by [the] government, it is a right that comes with you in the package when you are born,” said gun rights advocate Jackee Gonzales. In response to Northam’s threats and the new Democratic control of the legislature, the Culpepper County Board and dozens of others across the state have agreed that they would declare their counties ‘Second Amendment Constitutional Counties’, and Sheriff Scott Jenkins announced that he would deputize masses of Culpepper residents to protect their
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Second Amendment rights and refuse to give up their guns -- some have even threatened to go to court if the pro-gun control bills are passed in the new year. A similar debate is taking place in Colorado, where Democrats are poised to make a bid for stricter gun policies in 2020. This move follows the passage of a ‘red flag’ gun law going into effect January 1 that allows a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone that may be at risk of harming themselves or others. At least a dozen Colorado counties have designated themselves as “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” believing the red flag law and others bills to come, violate the Constitution. “Just like red flag, these bills sound good on the surface but underneath there could be an extraordinary abuse of gun rights with no increase of public safety,” said Dick Wadhams, a former GOP state party chair. Representative Tom Sullivan of Centennial, who is entering his second year at the capitol, got into politics after his son Alex was killed in the Aurora theater shooting. He believes there is still much work to do in the fight for better gun control. Sullivan asked the legislature on December 1 in reference to the 385 mass shootings that had occurred so far in 2019, “We need to decide, are we OK with that or do we want to do something?” These debates are taking place in legislatures in almost every state including Congress. With such a complex and controversial issue, it is difficult to find a strictly black and white solution. However, it is clear that the Second Amendment will be a major topic of discussion at all levels of government in 2020, especially with the upcoming presidential election.
CARLY BLANK, features editor
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