As visionary as they were in creating "the great experiment" called the Republic of America, could they have possibly seen 18 of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history, or the almost weekly mass gun violence and daily homcides? Muskets were one shot. (Yes, there were a few developments of weapons capable of firing more than a single round at the time but they were not mainstream.)

Are they to be blamed for a lack foresight in the future capacity of firearms to kill many? Maybe we can go back and give them this list to contemplate when they wrote "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 word "infringed" is the problem. All the other Amendments, including the most important 1st Amendment, have had various needed federal, call it, infringements.)

Let them read this, all non-combatants:
Las Vegas, October 1, 2017 — 59 dead, more than 850 wounded

Orlando, June 12, 2016 — 50 dead, 53 wounded

Virginia Tech University, April 16, 2007 — 32 dead, 17 wounded

Sutherland Springs, Texas, November 5, 2017 — 26 dead, 20 wounded

Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012 — 26 dead, two wounded, all mostly young children

Killeen, Texas, October 16, 1991 — 23 dead, 27 wounded

San Ysidro, California, July 18, 1984 — 20 dead, 16 wounded

Parkland, Florida, February 14, 2018 — 17 dead, 17 wounded


El Paso, August 3, 2019 – 22 dead, 24 wounded

University of Texas-Austin, August 1, 1966 — 15 dead, 31 wounded

San Bernardino, California, December 2, 2015 — 14 dead, 22 wounded

Edmond, Oklahoma, August 20, 1986 — 14 dead, 7 wounded

Okay, I think that is more than enough. I feel if they had this list that the 2nd Amendment would be far more restrictive, heavily infringed upon out of basic decency and the common good. But the Right thinks there is nothing to do about the epidemic violence of guns. On the Right they call it "the price of freedom." (That's our children they are talking about.)

The States have gun control laws--which is the best argument against their do-nothing attitude. Strict here and loose there is not control; it is chaos and ridiculous. Federal gun controls, universal for the nation, will help. Nothing we do will end the violence, yet we need to do something soon to at least lessen it. Please think hard about it. Merry Christmas.

The Christians opposition to abortion is recent. It was promoted to increase the political strength of conservatives by republicans.

https://www.rawstory.com/evangelicals-abortion/

When conservative leader Paul Weyrich and evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell created the Christian Right in the 1970s, they noticed that the abortion issue engaged right-wing Christians who might otherwise be uninterested in politics.

Basic manipulation. Some people are easily manipulated.

If you have been taught not to question religious fairy tales it is probably like shooting sheep in a sheep pen.

The Christians opposition to abortion is recent. It was promoted to increase the political strength of conservatives by republicans.

https://www.rawstory.com/evangelicals-abortion/

When conservative leader Paul Weyrich and evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell created the Christian Right in the 1970s, they noticed that the abortion issue engaged right-wing Christians who might otherwise be uninterested in politics.

Basic manipulation. Some people are easily manipulated.

If you have been taught not to question religious fairy tales it is probably like shooting sheep in a sheep pen.

So, you want to begin the confiscation of our guns by getting your toe under the tent with a ban on AR-15 type weapons? The crazies will merely shift to another type of gun, of which there are hundreds to choose from.

Your ban would not stop the use of other automatic weapons, even automatic pistols that are available. Thus, you will make similar sounds about banning all automatic pistols.

Then the scoundrels will shift to still other weapons, like shotguns, and your pleas will go out to ban them too.

The obvious goal you are advocating is ultimately a ban and confiscation of all weapons in civilian hands.

Do you see any problem with this? I can think of a number of problems:

1. The ban will not stop such events as mass shootings as weapons will still be available--hidden, stolen. or imported illegally. A large black market would arise quickly.

2. The ban and confiscation would leave every family vulnerable to attack, robbery, rape and death at the hands of well-armed criminals. An average of 2.5 million incidents where having a gun stopped a crime occurs each year in the US.

3. It is almost certain that out of those 2.5 million attempted crimes many thousands of murders or rapes or maimings would occur, unless they were stopped by a citizen with a gun, thus they are saving far, far more lives than are lost through mass shootings. This triage is hard to accept, but it is real. Guns save lives.

4. Ultimately, guns in civilian hands make insurrections more difficult when the people realize what is happening, and can temper the government itself from adventures against the people.

5. Finding the shooter-prone people before they shoot would be a positive approach. A highly difficult task, but it would save lives if successful.