From: cdhart@laurie.net (Carolyn Hart)
Subject: SNET: [piml] A Man And His Gun
Date: 14 Mar 1999 19:25:59 -0500
To: piml@egroups.com


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Topic: 2nd Amendment

A Man And His Gun

Gun Digest Editorial
Louis F. Lucas 

One of the prize possessions of manhood since our forefathers first
settled
America always has been the gun. This attitude toward firearms has
become an historic tradition in the United States. It represents a
priceless
freedom won by our forefathers which few nations enjoy.

So strong was their conviction about the right of reputable citizens to
own
and use firearms for lawful purposes that they amended our original
Constitution to provide that "the right of the people to keep and bear
arms
shall not be infringed." So important was this limitation that it
immidiately
follows the prohibition against violations of religion, speech, press,
and
assembly.

The right to keep and bear arms was exceedingly precious to men who
faced dangers of many kinds in their daily lives. Colonial farmers with
their
muskets had helped win the Revolutionary War. On the frontier, a gun
was usually the pioneer family's only protection against wild animals
and
prowling savages. It was necessary and accepted that young and old alike
be intimately acquainted with firearms and use them as tools of everyday
life.

Yes, guns have been and continue to be constructive tools in America.
Today they are used to build healthy minds and bodies; to develop
self-discipline, initiative, and team spirit; and to help prepare our
young
men to defend our American ideals, should the need arise, as did their
forefathers. Hunting and shooting are wholesome forms of recreation
which may be enjoyed for a lifetime. The development of firearms traces
the historical progress of our nation and collecting them offers a
fascinating
hobby with historical value.

Unfortunately, there is a growing prejudice against firearms. More and
more excuses constantly are being found to propose legislation, at the
state and local levels, which denies the right to possess and use
firearms
for personal protection, for marksmanship training, for recreation, or
even
as collector items. Many anti-gun laws are presented by persons who
believe that laws will prevent crime and accidental shootings. Others
are
advanced by individuals or groups who seek, through legislation, greater
assistance in the arrest and conviction of lawbreakers. All of them are
pointed in the wrong direction. They are aimed at the gun rather than
the
person who uses it improperly.

We who prize the ownership and use of firearms are to blame if we permit
the prejudice and opposition to grow. We cannot afford to underestimate,
until it is too late, the worth of guns to us and to America. We cannot
be
guilty of "not missing the water till the well runs dry." It is our
responsibility
to win more support from more people in our efforts to prevent
anti-firearms legislation, to teach firearms safety, to encourage
marksmanship, and to promote shooting and hunting as a wholesome form
of recreation. It is our responsibility to see that criminals who use
firearms
for unlawful purposes are severely punished. It is our responsibility to
insist that all who own firearms use them properly.

The right to keep and bear arms is a foundation stone of American
liberty.
We owe it to our ancestors to preserve unimpared that right which they
have delivered to our care. We owe it to future generations that their
inheritance not be destroyed. Let's act now to make certain that
americans
always will have the freedoms, the values, and the pleasures signified
by a
man and his gun.

Louis F. Lucas, 1959

Editor's notes: This editorial by Louis F. Lucas, Executive Director of
the National Rifle Association of America, Washington, D.C., appeared in
the March, 1959 issue of the NRA's official journal, The American
Rifleman. The Gun Digest agrees completely with Mr. Lucas's
comments.
The oldest national sportsmen's organization in the United States
(founded
in 1871), the National Rifle Association is composed of more than
325,000 patriotic citizens whose many varied interests touch common
ground in an interest in guns and shooting and in love of country. It is
dedicated to firearms safety as a public service, marksmanship training
for
national defense, and recreational shooting.
It believes in the fundamental right of an individual to keep and bear
arms
and stands squarely behind the premise that the lawful ownership of
firearms must not be denied American citizens of good repute, so long as
they continue to use such weapons for lawful purposes.
Every reputable person who owns a gun or who shoots a gun should be a
member of the National Rifle Association of America. The small
investment for dues will return valuable dividends in tangible benefits
and
in the personal satisfaction derived from being a part of a great
American
organization.



A forty-year old piece that still rings true today. Anyone surprised
when
they saw 1959?
Yet, both the facts and the problems are all valid points in 1999.
Socialists
in 1959 would not be inhabiting our Congress, and therein lies the rub.

I shall refrain from addressing the disparity in the membership numbers.
(10% in 40 years?) Sheesh.

NRA
GOA
JPFO
Explore. 

Posted by: W. (emailname) *
03/13/99 21:56:36 PST  


To: W.
Great piece, and just as valid today as 40 years ago.
From: gieriscm (gieriscm@hotmail.com) *
03/14/99 16:14:45 PST  


                          
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a36eb4f955b78.htm

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