Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Troy McCullough, Tim Davis, Jennifer Holland, Kathleen Carlson and Jenny Hykes.

The government has no right to prevent private citizens from bearing arms, say pro-gun activists. But should the government give guns away for free?

The fellows at the National Rifle Association must be throwing one heck of a party in honor of the scam they are pulling on the American people, with the help of Congress, of course.

Inside the 1996 Defense Authorization Act is a provision that orders the Department of Defense to give 176,218 rifles, 146 million rounds of ammunition and $8.8 million in property to private gun clubs.

That’s a whopping $76 million tab Congress and these gun clubs are expecting the American people to pay.

These guns and ammunition will be distributed to gun club owners as part of the establishment of the Corporation of the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety.

This is basically a “privatized” version of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which was a training program for civilians in an effort to bolster our nation’s military preparedness, despite the fact that the Defense Department had said that there was no “discernable link” between any sort of marksmanship program and the ability of our nation to defend itself. Until last year, the program received an annual federal government subsidy of $2.5 million.

The right to bear arms, while controversial, certainly has some validity in a free society. The basis of the right to bear arms is that the government has no right to intrude upon the desires of a private citizen to carry a gun.

If this premise is valid (and it is), the opposite effect must also be valid. The government should not be in the business of subsidizing the “private” right that gun enthusiasts cling to so tightly.

This provision is beyond disagreeable. It is ludicrous. Why are taxpayers expected to give over 176,000 guns and millions of rounds of ammunition to “private”gun enthusiasts?

Why is our government allowing millions of guns and ammunition to be handed out, like so much candy?

If the right to own a gun is indeed a private right, why are gun enthusiasts expecting the government to foot the bill for their “private”right?

Bear arms if you wish. Just don’t expect the rest of us to pick up the check.