I swings both ways

When defending our Constitution I take the seemingly rare position of defending *all* of the document. Thus I take umbrage at being spied on by my own government even if all they collect is my metadata... whatever that is... as there can be no doubt that such action constitutes a 4A violation.  

I further detest the practice of targeted killings of Americans without due process, school sponsored group prayer in the classroom, vouchers that exist for the sole purpose of sending kids to religious schools on my dime. These actions violate 1A as does allowing really rich guys to hide behind corporate entities while buying elections. 

These violations originate mostly from the right side of our political spectrum although there is that continuation of Darth Cheney authoritarianism by the current administration that has me a bit upset. The left is far from innocent when it comes to constitutional infringement. In addition to the eavesdropping and denial of due process, they get it dead wrong on gun ownership. We can debate 2A language from here to eternity and it won't change the fact that our founders intent was that private citizens should have a guaranteed right to firearms. 

Over the years we've set reasonable restrictions to this right. We've done similar with all other constitutional guarantees, but many of my lefty friends don't feel there has been enough restriction while my right wingnut buddies chafe at current restriction while going ballistic at the slightest suggestion of more. To some degree and in some areas I might be persuaded to agree with both, but I refuse to go moonbat in either direction.

Now, with that said, I've gotta get something off my chest and my right wing buddies aren't gonna like it. It is time we did something with the all-or-nothing mindset being sold to the great unwashed by the NRA... otherwise known as the lobbying arm of the gun manufacturers. 

Several years back the left took the all-or-nothing position in their efforts to ban guns. The backlash was as swift as it was vicious, and after a relatively few years we have more money than Carter had Little Liver pills flowing into NRA war chests and dipshits like Ted Nugent defecating out his mouth at NRA conventions and Republican campaign events.

Politics is like a pendulum. The further to one side it swings the harder it swings back. Without moderation radicalism vs. overreaction swap sides with each swing. This is not good for our society, and this is where government should step in and steer the sides toward moderation.

A governor on a carburetor keeps an engine from over-revving, and reasonable statesmen in government should be able to moderate the rhetoric and find compromise before this debate throws a rod. Failing this I fear we'll simply see more and more radical pendulum swings. 

I like my guns. They've served me well through the years, giving me pleasure while causing no harm to others. Although I've sold several over the past couple years I still have some antiques that have been in the family for generations, a couple little plinkers used for target and skunk shooting, one remaining varmint gun, a pistol or two (again for plinking), and my shotguns.

My lefty friends may disagree, but shooting is a sport and firearm ownership is a protected right. My right wingnut friends will disagree with me when I say that even with this right there is room... even a necessity for some restrictions on firearm possession. Not many of the currently proposed restrictions would amount to a hill of beans, but something has got to give if we want to insure our right to keep and bear arms.

We gun owners are the ones with something to lose in this debate. With all of the recent and seemingly never-ending atrocities and simple acts of stupidity by folks who should know better, the absolutists on the left will eventually have the sand necessary to sway the middle and no amount of special pleading will prevent the inevitable. There is room for compromise before it gets to that point, but there will be none afterwards. 

If the wingnuts on the right don't back off and start moving toward something reasonable I fear the next swing will be so far to the left that at least a few of my firearms will fall victim to useless and unwise regulation. Once that happens it will be another two generations before the pendulum swings back to the right... if it ever does. I'd rather that not happen. 

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