“Very few hunters in the United States or sports people and law-abiding people really need to have semiautomatic weapons or long guns” ---Asst. US Attorney General Lanny Breuer in recent congressional testimony regarding the Fast and Furious scandal.

It always amuses me when the anti-gun crowd brings up the subject of "needs" when it comes to gun ownership and gun rights. America has always been a country that prides itself on opportunity, and with that opportunity came the consumerism and consumption which helped define a decade of incredible innovation and industry. As a society we rarely find it necessary to judge one another's our possessions and what we "need." We could spend all day arguing about what we need or don't need, but at the end of the day what matters is that we have built a country that allows its citizens to have the freedom to express themselves not only in speech, religion, press and politics, but in the consumer decisions we choOse to make as well. I could probably walk through Lanny Breuer's house and point countless objects that I could question whether he needs or not...items that are not protected by our constitution, by the way. So who is Breuer to decide who needs what?

Like most people in the justice department, Breuer obviously doesn't know the first thing about guns. To claim that semi-auto firearms have no practical use for civilians is downright ignorant. I suggest Breuer ask the large numbers of bird hunters in the country or clay pigeon shooters how practical a single shot shotgun would be for their sporting pursuits. Hunting is a very popular past time in this country, not some fringe activity. This is another example of the incredible disconnect between government officials like Breuer and the people of this country. Shooting is a very popular activity in this country, and semi-auto firearms are used by most shooters...shooters that are law abiding, responsible individuals. Shooting is an Olympic sport for a reason.

And what about self defense? Does Breuer think that semi-auto guns have no role in the self defense? Most states have laws that protect individuals from prosecution if they use firearms in an act of self defense. A semi-auto pistol or shotgun is the most common self defense weapon for home protection. I suppose Breuer, in all his wisdom, is of the opinion that a single shot musket is an acceptable firearm to protect your family with in the case of a home invasion. Or maybe Breuer is the type that doesn't believe in self defense at all, that in the face of imminent danger or death we should wait patiently for help to arrive or run and hope for the best. (There are actually states that do not allow you to defend yourself, but that is a subject for another day)

People like Breuer and other anti-gun, anti-Second Amendment rights activists have a strange fixation with semi auto rifles and shotguns, despite the fact that they are rarely used in gun crime. Most gun crime in this country involves handguns, and the majority of gun crime occurs in inner city areas that struggle with drug, poverty and other gun crimes. Lawful citizens that own semi-auto rifles and shotguns are not the problem, but the anti-gun rights crowd likes to focus on them because those big black guns are scary looking and easy to vilify. The Clinton Brady Bill, for example, focused almost entirely on those scary looking "assault rifles" even though they are rarely used in crimes. Violent crime and gun crime in this country have been on the decline over the last decade or so. In fact, according to the FBI violent crime fell by 5% in 2009, while at the same time gun sales reached an all time high.

The best way to reduce gun and violent crime in this country is to focus on inner city areas and address the drug problems and poverty that fuel gun violence. Of course, our government is more concerned with worrying about guns and violence in Mexico than making a serious attempt at stemming the flow of drugs from Mexico into our country.  

So, Mr. Breuer, we, the law abiding gun owners, hunters, and shooting enthusiast do not need to justify our legal, constitutionally guaranteed gun rights to you. The type of person who is going to spend upwards of a thousand dollars on a high quality AR-15, 1911, or shotgun is not the problem, and your choice to attack us only make it that much clearer than you are more interested in gun prohibition than addressing gun crime. 

While I have many friends that are left leaning or democrats and enjoy firearms and shooting, it is worth noting that Obama and people like Breuer will have a much better opportunity to attack our gun rights in the event of a second Obama term. Obama has been wise enough to know that attacking gun ownership is an unpopular stance to take---some argue that it cost Gore the presidency in 2000. Obama will likely avoid the gun issue entirely as he runs for re-election. However, Obama has a history of being anti-gun rights, and has made a point of filling his cabinet with anti-gun people like Holder and Breuer. Almost all of the people in his administration have taken strong anti-2nd Amendment positions. A second term for Obama will allow him to act on his anti-gun rights beliefs, as he will not have to worry about re-election, allowing him to pursue unpopular agendas such as gun control. While the current congress has enough pro Second Amendment politicians to block any needless gun control legislation, that political dynamic could change very easily in 2012. Perhaps most important of all, Obama will possibly have the chance to appoint yet another anti-second amendment Supreme Court Justice during a potential second term. The all important Heller decision, which affirmed the constitutional right for individuals to own firearms, passed by a slim 5-4 margin. A future Obama appointee could easily change that balance towards anti-Second Amendment Justices. While we at Second Amendment Clothing will never tell anyone who or what to vote for, it is important for people that respect our constitutional gun rights to realize the importance of the upcoming election and the major effects it could have on our gun rights. No scare tactics here, this is the truth.

Happy shooting.