New Times / Letter To The Editor

Think obligations over rights

Steve T. Kobara

Regarding pro-gun letters in the wake of the Connecticut shooting that left 20 children dead, I quote Alexander Solzhynitsin: “We need to emphasize not human rights, but human obligations.”

Guns make killing easier and quicker. A gunman can disable his victim 100 yards away with a pistol, and 200 yards away with a submachine gun. With a 7.62mm rifle, he can kill someone at 1,000 yards, or even 1,000 meters, away without fear of retaliation. Guns’ immense power disables a victim instantaneously. The Connecticut shooter could not have killed 26 persons with a knife, or bayonet, or billy club.

Too many gun advocates yammer mindlessly about their “rights,” but seldom say a thing about the rights of children to attend school without being murdered. Despite their speculation over their “rights,” many pro-gunners ignore others’ rights and safety. Other pro-gunners argue that the June 2000 murder of three federal meat inspectors in a butcher shop was also Constitutionally protected. The right to own guns does not necessarily imply a corresponding “right” to shoot, let alone to commit murder.

Let’s all remember our human obligations.