Editor: There is so much toxic smoke being blown lately over gun rights by both pro and con advocates, the public is in danger of getting lung cancer. Some historical perspective on the Second Amendment is appropriate.

The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting or target shooting or even the right to defend your person and property. The Founding Fathers believed these rights didn’t need to be codified, they were assumed without question to be the natural right of every citizen.

The Founding Fathers had just fought a bloody and expensive revolution against England. They realized and appreciated that without being heavily armed themselves, they would have never been able to counter King George’s tyrannical and oppressive rule over them.

The meaning and intention of “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…,” is crystal clear. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to guarantee that We The People would be able to defend ourselves against any future tyrannical government.

And the meaning of “shall not be infringed” is also crystal clear. What part of that phrase do so many educated people not understand? This is not a rhetorical question.

If you don’t like the Second Amendment, fine. But you can’t just ignore it, reinterpret it or spin it to accomplish your political goals — that’s not how a constitution works. If you don’t like the Second Amendment, repeal it. Good luck with that.

Larry Hoffenberg

Libertarian Party Precinct Committeeman

Payson