Regarding Joseph Marriott's Nov. 16 letter, "Right to bear arms still relevant": While I respect Marriott's "right to bear arms," he does not have the right to bear arms anywhere near me. The "right to bear arms" is vaunted, it seems, proudly by many Americans as a sign of independence and freedom. That might be the case with their history. But the perceived need for the freedom to bear arms sits only alongside Daniel Boone and the Wild West and is viewed by this author as an anachronism.
Marriott's arguments in support of the right to bear arms, such as "the natural right of self-defense (if we) consider that the police in any country cannot protect citizens at all times or in all places," implies that those who have the right to bear arms live in a poorly policed, unstable democracy. I do not live in such a state. Fortunately, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has no application outside the U.S., so I can rest assured someone clinging to their "right to bear arms" will not bother to hover in my vicinity.
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