Sotomayer Vs. Your Second Amendment Rights

Sonia Sotomayer recently took on Senator Tom Coburn over her beliefs on the right of law abiding citizens to bear arms during her confirmation hearing. As could be expected, the prospective incoming Justice used a lot of words to say absolutely nothing. Sotomayer hid behind calling the question by Coburn "abstract". The typical dance was played again with both political parties wrangling the situation to make the other party look to be a threat to you. I know right now someone is saying the Justices are neutral but believe me, the decisions made by Sotomayer are straight liberal all the way through.

The Second Amendment is one of the hot button issues used as means to put people in booths on election day. The truth is your rights of gun ownership are in danger but not to any one politician. Even President Obama himself is going to provide murky answers on the subject until after the next election.The final blow to your gun ownership rights are not going to one master stroke, but rather little compromises to your freedoms here and there.

Already the Second Amendment right deniers have won the little victories of "municipality rights" so that places like New York and Washington DC can deny your rights with in their confines.

Another ploy used is to use vague language like "Assault Rifle" to a moderate minded person this conjures the image of removing Kalashnikov rifles from the street so that gang members would not have the capability to spray 30 rounds of 7.62mm in to a random crowd. A liberal interpretation of the assault rifle terminology could mean removing a Ruger 10.22 from a father teaching his son to shoot because the Ruger 10.22 does not require manually reloading after each shot and has that "ever threatening" pistol grip.

The only way to defend against these "compromises" is to exercise your freedoms. The best crime deterrent is carrying a gun. If some one is in your house it is a long 10 minutes waiting on a patrolman to find your house especially in a little patrolled "safe neighborhood".
I recommend the following.

1. Apply for a Carry Concealed Weapon Permit. It is a simple process that cost less than $50 in most states and is a one time form. As long as you have no felonies and never visited the loony bin you pretty much qualify.
2. Visit your local range and talk with people there. They are usually a nice bunch of people that do not fit the "gun nut" stereotype that people have. These individuals are well abreast of any ownership issues both local and on the national level. It is also the best place to receive training. As threatening as the mugger in the parking a lot maybe, you are a bigger danger to your self if you carry with out instruction and practice.
3. If it has ever struck your fancy, you too can become a Federally licensed Firearm dealer. There is a FFL kit that can be ordered on-line via a lens of mine at www.squidoo.com/FederalGUNBroker and is an interesting career change or recreational hobby. I had an acquaintance in South Carolina who dealt part time just to enjoy discounts on the guns he purchased for himself and for friends.

Most importantly please be informed of political aspirants. Get to know the candidates and don't assume your party picked them because of their adherence to the party line. The most likely scenario for loss of gun ownership comes from the little compromises.