I was a little shocked after reading Ben Godar’s June 10 opinion piece.

Not only would he throw out parts of the Constitution on a whim, but he doesn’t even bother to present any facts to back up his claims.

First of all, the right to keep and bear arms has very little to do with hunting and shooting sports; it is the ultimate check on government.

The Founding Fathers knew that if the civilian population were armed, tyrants could not reign.

Of all the freedoms established in the Bill of Rights, only the right to keep and bear arms enables pro-active protection for all of our other rights. This view is clearly illustrated in the Federalist Papers for anyone who wishes to learn more.

Secondly, the right to keep and bear arms allows individuals to protect themselves. In most areas, police are overworked, underpaid and not able to be everywhere all the time.

With the proper training however, even a potentially weak target can stop a crime with a gun.

If Ben Godar would like, I can provide him with many verifiable claims of people using firearms to protect themselves, and others, in the face of criminal action.

Additionally, I can point out references to increasing crime in Britain, which recently banned firearms, low crime rates in Switzerland, in which people are required to keep fully-automatic assault weapons and ammunition in their homes, and the success of concealed carry here in the United States. Guns are not the problem, they just make a good scapegoat.

Finally, as a gun owner, I would like to express my opinion on Ben’s suggestion of banning all guns.

It won’t happen, and any attempt to do so will be met with great resistance, just as would any attempt to ban freedom of the press.

These are freedoms inherent to all people, they were not granted by the federal government, and therefore cannot be taken away by the federal government.

The Bill of Rights is not a list of what the government will let us do, it is a list of restrictions on the government itself.

As Benjamin Franklin said, those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Ben, do you deserve either?

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Chad Daniel

Graduate student

Agronomy