Re: 'A second opinion on the Second Amendment' [Village News, Terrell letter,10/3/24]

Your letter is so misleading! The propaganda is so bad it’s hard to know where to start. Regarding the Second Amendment and the militia – this means every able-bodied male/non-government private volunteer dating back all the way to colonial days.

Here is a direct quote, verbatim, from Thomas Jefferson on drafting the Constitution:

“No free man shall ever be debarred from the use of arms.” The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and bear arms is to use it as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Here is where you really twist/warp the Second Amendment of the part “shall not be infringed.” You said private citizens cannot decide this. It falls to the government to make that determination. What? Even a child can understand the word infringed. Infringed means to violate/restrict personal liberties.

It is common knowledge that your party hates the Constitution and passes laws that violate the Constitution. These new laws are given nice names often called “Common Sense Gun Laws” There are so many anti-freedom gun laws; it’s never ending.

One example is California Penal Code sec 31900 “Bill SB15” The California handgun roster list. This law restricts the free market on what a private citizen can buy yet this law exempts California Law enforcement like all other foolish California laws. It does nothing on crime or gun accidents.

You, Mr. Terrell, also claim the Republican Party is using scare tactics like “claiming the Democrats want to take away our guns.” This is another lie of yours. Remember the late Dianne Feinstein in 1995? “If I could have gotten 51 votes then Mr. and Mrs. America turn them all in.” So yes, your party lies saying they support the Second Amendment while at the same time trying to violate and outlaw America's freedoms.

Next, you claim the AR-15 rifle is a military assault weapon and can go through and pierce any known body armor. Here are the facts – AR does not stand for assault rifle. It stands for ArmaLite/Fairchild Aircraft company. The AR-15 civilian rifle is no more dangerous than any other semi-auto rifle. Period. The round it shoots is a .223 Remington/556 NATO and is actually very weak compared to other rifles that shoot .30-06, etc.

The AR-15 is not an assault weapon. This is an endless lie. The Democrats hate all firearms and want them all outlawed. The M16/M4 military rifle looks the same but it’s not. It is machined differently, so it accepts a totally different trigger assembly that allows it to shoot semi/fully automatic and 3-round bursts.

Recently, anti-gun California Gov. Gavin Newsom, playing dictator, tried to outlaw free speech. The new A.I. funny parody videos, the Democrats are so offended. It’s called Free Speech, Mr. Terrell.

I recommend readers of Mr. Terrell to please fact check all his comments. Please find out for yourself if it is the truth or lies.

David Stagg