Drop Second Amendment 'rights' pretense

It seems as though the Republican majority in the Legislature is about to ram through a flurry of new gun laws that they falsely label Second Amendment rights. The Second Amendment, like all of the others included in the Bill of Rights, is not an absolute. Like all others, is defined by interpretation of the federal courts. Therefore when some say that it enables open or concealed carry of guns with virtually no restrictions, they are simply voicing an opinion.

At this point, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment does indeed apply to the private ownership of guns by private citizens, but they also ruled that governments have the right to impose reasonable restrictions on that ownership. Several states have placed severe restrictions on concealed or open carry and others have all but removed all restrictions. The federal courts have declined to overturn any state law that severely restricts concealed or open carry. Therefore, the right to carry may be termed a legal right granted by state government, but it is not a constitutional right.

It is time for proponents of relaxing Iowa’s gun laws to drop the pretense of defending our constitutional rights and call it what it is. What they really want is to legislate their opinion into law, and if public opinion polls are to be believed, their opinion is at odds with the majority. Therefore, I challenge them to drop their attempts to ram these proposals through the legislature. If we really must have gun laws that are more lax, let the people decide through the referendum process.

— John Rose, West Des Moines