"...Shall Not Be Infringed."

So we closed America down tight, sent everyone home to lock the doors and pull down the shades, go into mom and dad's basement and wait...for the Government to tell us it's okay to rejoin the land of the living.  

And force our youngest to consume "Grand Theft Auto" and "World of Warcraft" and "Mortal Kombat" 24 hours a day.  Shooting nameless, faceless Bad Guys by the dozen, using our AR-15's and AK-47's, facing no pushback or public condemnation for mass murder.  

They shoot and kill the "others" with abandon, blowing clip after clip of digital ammo in a never-ending quest to improve their aim.  And thier kill rate.   Perhaps harboring deep-down thoughts of actually doing such a thing someday.  To help assuage their ever-growing pain and anger.  At life.  At their friends.  At their school.  At America.... 

We took from these just-pubescent teens the chance to interact with their friends, robbing them of the "togetherness" so necessary for young adult development.  Forcing them to turn inward, becoming more and more withdrawn.*  

What could possibly have gone wrong?   

I am amused, and frankly alarmed, each time there's a mass shooting by some disaffected loner crazed kid out there and liberals in search of increased power and a "reason" they can latch upon for all this senseless gun violence leap for the nearest microphone.  Trampling any unsuspecting citizen who happens to get the way.  To call for new and improved gun control.  So they can try and disarm us further.  In direct contravention with the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.  Which reads...

"A well regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state, the Right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

There are more than three hundred thousand gun laws on the books here in America, covering every aspect of firearm appearance, size, caliber, acquisition, ownership, storage, usage, transportation and collection.  In effect "infringing" upon this Right in almost every way imaginable, nibbling around the edges of a Right that shall not be infringed.   

Twenty seven words.  Only.  The very shortest of the Bill of Rights.  And the one most focused in its intent.  And that is, to make sure you know you're guaranteed the Right as an American to own and use firearms to protect yourself.  A Right which was reaffirmed by "McDonald v. City of Chicago," SCOTUS, 2008, and again by the "District of Columbia v. Heller," 2010, specifying that we have an individual, inalienable Right to keep and use firearms.  

And the words most poignant to me are the last four: "...shall not be infringed."  And it means what it says.  And that's why all the anti-gun nuts have been having such a hard time doing away with it.  Or finding a way to stop the purchase of some 3 million more of them each and every month!  Right now, today! 

Perhaps this time they'll learn start "hardening" our schools and putting $dollars into mental health awareness and screening.  The real causes of mass shootings.  And maybe they'll stop calling every school a "gun free zone," and equipping them with trained, armed teachers and staff, will any of the 100,000,000 of us who own more than 500,000,000 firearms go along with anything they come up with that "infringes" on that Right.  

I'm really sorry they permitted the tragedy at Ross Elementary to occur.  They were warned.  They ignored the warning. I'm sorry I wasn't nearby that day to blow this miscreant out of his socks before he could hurt anyone.  And I'm sorry for the next mass shooting that will surely occur.  Until they face reality.

Something they're not particular good at...

*    My minor in college was "Child and Adolescent Development."