There should be limits

The 2nd Amendment refers to the right to bear arms. But what is the definition of “arms?”

Once I said to a friend, you shouldn’t need a gun that can shoot more than 15 times. She replied, what if the bad guy has a gun that will shoot 16 times? I replied, maybe you should then get one that will shoot 17 times.

Or, how about having a flame thrower? Or hand grenades? Maybe poison gas. How about posting machine guns in every window?

The point is, there should be reasonable limits. Even the right to free speech does not allow anyone to shout fire in a crowded theater, or to urge the assassination of a political figure. Rights may not always be absolute, without exceptions.

A few years back the slogan most heard was, “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” I agree. I think everyone has a right to own a gun, or guns. But, we urgently need a little common sense here. We need compromise. Maybe banning guns that will shoot more than ten times won’t solve the problem, but at least it should be worth trying.

President Trump suggests banning the sale of assault rifles to anyone under 21. Does he think only those under 21 might buy the gun and shoot people? I say, ban the sale of assault rifles, period. How many more mass shootings will it take before gun advocates (or “gun nuts” as I call them) realize that for the common good they can’t always have their way?

Don Gately

Valencia