Muskets, long rifles and AR-15s
By The Bakersfield Californian
Norm Haughness wrote to accuse the NRA of being an instrument of the gun manufacturers, pushing sales of weapons ("Some perspective on the NRA's sacred mission," Jan. 10). He stated that they distorted the meaning of the Second Amendment. He stated that the Constitution permits ownership of "well-regulated guns."
Norm thinks that the founders did not envision the AR-15 of today. The Continental Army's long rifles were the AR-15s of their day. Their range was superior to that of the "Brown Bess" muskets used by the British soldiers.
These AR-15s are not "assault weapons." They are semi-automatic, unlike the military weapons that fire on full automatic. That they are military in appearance is used by detractors to frighten people not familiar with the various firearms. The Constitution clearly states that "the right ... to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It does not mean that the arms will be limited to single-fire muskets.
Not so long ago, rioters were burning down homes and businesses in L.A.'s Koreatown. Law-abiding citizens were at the mercy of mobs intent on destruction. It was shop owners with shotguns and so-called assault rifles that stood up to the rioters and saved lives and homes. In that instance, it would not have been enough to take a stand with single-shot relics. States and cities with the strictest gun control laws have the highest number of homicides. Meanwhile, according to the Cato Institute, states and cities with the highest number of gun owners have the lowest crime rates.
Ralph I. Robles
Bakersfield
Most CommentedMost Popular
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine...
A draft city ordinance that would have restricted abortion in Bakersfield was placed on hold Monday when the Bakersfield City Council's Legislative and Litigation Committee voted 3-0 to table its discussion indefinitely, and instead, ordered the drafting of a resolution that could be less...
Attorneys for the family of David Sal Silva and for the witnesses to his violent encounter with sheriff's deputies reacted with incredulity and outrage to the sheriff's statements Thursday.
BOY did Sheriff Donny Youngblood tell US how the cow eats the cabbage this week. By "us" I mean we in the media. In his Thursday press conference regarding the death of David Sal Silva, who died after an altercation with sheriff's deputies, Youngblood released results from a coroner's report and...
A forceful Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a tense press conference Thursday that David Sal Silva, whose death earlier this month raised questions about use of force by deputies, died as a result of hypertensive heart disease and was not only intoxicated but had methamphetamine and other drugs in his system at the time of his death.
Blood stains are still visible on the sidewalk at the corner of Flower Street and Palm Drive, where a Bakersfield man struggled with as many as nine officers and later died this week.
Classes were canceled at Bakersfield High School Monday after three small bottle bomb explosions struck campus, authorities said.
David Sal Silva’s screams seem like they will never stop.