Hunting around the internet, I found a couple of articles, one called Fun with the Second Amendment, and the other called Why We Liberals Don't Like Guns. The first article, surprisingly enough, seems fairly intelligently presented, recognizing the fact that guns aren't the cause of American crime, and removing them from the equation won't truly solve the problem. However, they obviously don't understand the intention of the Second Amendment, an intention corroborated by the writings of such people as Thomas Jefferson. Sadly, the second article simply presents them as a bunch of doddering milquetoasts, if not exactly whack-jobs, and they seem to be the people Ben Franklin was referring to when he said "They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
While this might indeed seem extreme, as does wondering why anyone should be up in arms about a ban on assault rifles, stop and think for a moment. Where does one draw the line? While they may be assault rifles now, they'll be pump guns next, followed by any repeater. The laws present on the books in California prevent a champion target shooter from practicing in her own state with a small-bore, single shot target rifle. Absurd! you say? Damn right! But that's California for you.
California now... what next? Nowhere, I hope. Instead, I offer these collected quotations on the topic of freedom.
