Meghan McCain försvarar rätten till vapen

John McCains dotter Meghan, som de senaste månaderna stuckit ut alltmer i politiska sammanhang, skriver på sin blogg något som torde uppskattas av konservativa, som annars varit skeptiska till hennes positiva inställning till gay-äktenskap. Hon skriver nämligen att hon är en stark förespråkare av det andra konstitutionstillägget om rätten att bära vapen. En fråga hon har ett väldigt brett perspektiv på eftersom hon växt upp i vapenstaten Arizona men nu bor i den liberala anti-vapenstaten New York - således har hon hört och engagerat sig i argumenten från båda sidor. Den dubbla erfarenheten i kombination med hennes unga ålder, gör hennes inlägg mycket läsvärt - kanske inte minst här i Europa, där vapenförespråkande amerikaner antingen är skolskjutande elever eller skjutglada rednecks av en något äldre generation:

Hon skriver:

"Let’s get something straight: Individual responsibility and personal liberty are inherent Republican philosophies. And nothing could be more essential in protecting those ideals than the Bill of Rights. It’s no accident the second of the first 10 amendments protects the right to bear arms—and has done so for more than 200 years...


...Sadly, what should be a simple freedom has been obscured by our nation’s gun culture. Yes, there are people as fanatical about guns as others are about fashion, entertainment, music, or any other obsession. And sometimes they are portrayed unfavorably in the pop-culture world. Now, I know a small portion of them probably deserve some ridicule. But no more than any other “out-of-control” celebrity with another exploitative story. With guns, everything becomes polarized. I have wonderful memories of my godfather and my brothers and the times I’ve spent shooting with them. Still, I can also understand the astonishment urbanites express about “that nasty gun fetish” I grew up with in “good old red-blooded” Phoenix. I moved to New York City when I was 18; I still consider it home. My political beliefs have been by shaped by both of these uniquely diverse communities. The debate over the Second Amendment is one of the most divisive ones I’ve had with my more liberal friends, and it’s the biggest cultural difference I’ve seen between red and blue states. Most people I talk to—who’ve never had the experiences I’ve had—equate guns with school shootings and Michael Moore movies. There’s no denying the reality of those situations. They’re just not the only ones associated with gun ownership. (To those who have no experience shooting a firearm: Go give it a try at a rifle range, read up on the NRA, and then come to a more conclusive opinion.)

Putting it bluntly, we’ve done a disservice to our violence problems by making the political argument about guns instead of whatever causes people to be violent in the first place. Anger, alcohol, drugs, economic hopelessness, reckless driving—they can all precipitate tragedy....

...Gun control has become one of those "Republican issues" that the left has demonized as much as the right has demonized gay marriage. In fact, the Democratic Party is guilty of politicizing the issue to where it’s almost unrecognizable in public discourse. It's no longer about a fundamental American right of responsible, trained, and law-abiding citizens. It's about Us vs. Them. Blood-thirsty, violence-loving hicks vs. straight-laced, normal, thinking urban white-collar workers. That's wrong. The NRA is about upholding Second Amendment rights and teaching people to be responsible with those freedoms. I’m a proud supporter...."

Källa: Meghan McCains blogg

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