Ordinances not needed to uphold amendment
I appreciate the Second Amendment supporters' desire to try and build more support for their gun ownership rights. However, their effort to get ordinances and resolutions passed in county quorum courts are unnecessary and even illegal. Gun ownership, with a specific caveat, is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Arkansas Constitution in Article 2, Section 5 also enshrines the citizens' right to bear arms for common defense. Every justice of the peace, in their oath of office, swears to or affirms to support and defend both constitutions.
Why do these Second Amendment supporters believe additional local legislation is necessary? Are they afraid someone will notice and take action on that second clause in the Second Amendment. If so, they should immediately shift their focus to organizing the "well regulated militia" specified in that amendment. As it is today, these Second Amendment supporters ignore that clause because it means they must belong to an organization that trains citizens for self-defense in a well-organized and repetitive manner. These Second Amendment supporters apparently believe the US is still the "wild West" of the late 19th century.
It is also extremely important to note that the Arkansas Constitution contains a specific provision that limits the powers of counties to only those delegated by the state. The state has never granted counties any power to regulate rights enumerated in Article Two of the Arkansas Constitution. The state has empowered counties with maintaining law and order through the sheriff and constables (constables only having such power when granted by a county).
The bottom line: These Second Amendment rights ordinances and resolutions are not only unnecessary but illegal in Arkansas. The origin of these may have been created in other states that do not have state constitutions that so strongly defend the right of gun ownership or limit the power of counties so clearly and strongly.
If the defenders of the Second Amendment are worried about abridgment of the right of gun ownership by ordinary citizens, they should quit lobbying for unnecessary and illegal local legislation and get busy organizing and training. And the NRA is not a militia; it is just another lobby of the hunting community.
Robert M. Anderson
Centeron
Candidate Joseph Bollinger the real Republican in race
Dave Barfield [Letters, Feb. 12] should know what a RINO (Republican In Name Only) is. If he did, he would realize that he and his buddy Doug Farner are just that. The two candidates running for justice of the peace in District 7 could not be more different.
Joseph Bollinger is a solid pro-life, small government and lower-taxes conservative, which aligns with the Republican Party of Arkansas' platform. Joseph has been an active member of the Republican Party of Benton County and is chairman of the Northwest Arkansas Young Republicans. Doug Farner is pro-choice and thinks that late-term abortion sometimes makes sense. Really?
I encourage Bella Vista to vote for a real Republican, Joseph Bollinger, in District 7.
Barbara Tillman
Bella Vista
Editorial on 02/21/2020