DustyGmt
Member
This is basically my thoughts as well. Taking someone's rights away is a very serious thing and I understand more than most that when you're young, mistakes get made. I applaud and admire people who have lived good wholesome lives and never broke the law in their life but just think about that one guy who was out of line and insulted your wife at the bar and how bad you wanted to punch him. Had you done it, do you think you would feel an equal measure of justice was given to you if your RKBA was revoked as a result?Someone who cheated on taxes, or made a stupid decision a long time ago (especially without malicious intent) shouldn't necessarily forfeit a constitutional right for life. Someone with a history of robbery or assault with weapons, or a jacket with predatory criminal behavior is way different than someone who got into a bar fight years ago and got the book thrown at him/her, or had a substance abuse problem at one time and got caught with something in his/her pocket but is now "clean". I have a close friend who after his 4 years in the 82d airborne (with a couple of combat deployments) was honorably discharged and drank too much. He was DWI, and tried to run from the cops in Idaho. He ended up crashing- no damage to anyone else's property or injuries. Now he won't touch alcohol, but he is a felon- who has finished culinary school and is a very accomplished chef at a high end restaurant. His wife is a lawyer specializing in international law. Based on his criminal history, he can't own a firearm.
Something else to think about- our elected officials have decided that these people have served their punishment, and no longer pose a threat to the point they are released and "free". At one time, they couldn't get a driver's license or vote- now they are able to get a CDL and in some cases are voting while still locked up. Why are only SOME of their rights being restored? There are people who were granted waivers for felonies and allowed to join the military (where there are lots of guns) during the late unpleasantness, when enlistment numbers were down. In many cases, these people got their act together, and served honorably- often in combat.
I guess my point is that it is a complex issue that probably shouldn't be addressed with a "1 size fits all" approach, like so many other things our government addresses in similar ways. I checked the 2nd amendment, and I didn't see anything about felons, or the word "except" anywhere in it.
People need to be given second chances. Maybe not 3rds and 4ths and 5ths and obviously some crimes should go without saying. Punishment just needs to be more measured and proportional.