To the Editor:

What is the purpose of the 2nd Amendment? If the 2nd Amendment is not important, why do all government officials including the president and members of the military swear an oath to protect and defend it? What does it mean when that oath says to protect the Constitution from threats both foreign and DOMESTIC?
If you have served in the military you have put your life on the line to protect MY 2nd Amendment rights- even if a few "crazy people" misuse those rights. It’s already against the law for people, "crazy" or not to murder. Gun laws against law abiding citizen’s only harms law-abiding citizens. Why would a government be afraid for its law-abiding citizens to be armed? Would you, as a free person want to live in a country where the government does not want law-abiding citizens to own guns? Maybe you should talk with Jews who survived Hitler, or countless other oppressive governments.
I believe the U.S. Constitution along with the Declaration of Independence to be the greatest man made government documents ever written. Without the 2nd Amendment we would probably have no constitution or republic today.
If you don’t want a gun then I do not want to force you to have a gun. But don’t try to take that right away from me. If we lose our Constitution we lose our freedom and our country.
Where can I purchase a semi-automatic gun that can fire 30 rounds a second?

Alan McKay
Buckhead
Via e-mail

Printed in the February 14, 2013 edition