The Second Amendment: Gun Control?

Second Amendment: Granny Gatty and the Brewster Boys

Granny Gatty ran a gas station and used goods store five miles outside of town. She was an institution to the nearby townsfolk, all of whom had known her as Gatty since her little brother Tim, who couldn't say Gladys, had gifted her with the name. A widow for two decades, she was stubborn, independent, and openly admired by all who had watched her long, solitary fight to keep her business open and free of debt during hard times.

She had a few enemies, namely the two Brewster brothers, who had tried to take her place over for years. When they failed, they resorted to thievery. They had broken in several times, but Granny Gatty's legendary skill with the shotgun she kept loaded and ready had repeatedly driven them off. They were a constant worry, but she counted it one of the necessaries to stay in business.
She was visited one day in early summer by Frank, the local sheriff, who brought bad news.
"There are new laws afoot, Granny, that say ordinary people can't keep their guns; that the government is going to take them from us."
Disbelief flashed across Granny's face. "That's plain dumb, Frank", she cried, thinking of the Brewster Boys. "How can plain folk keep theyself safe without guns?"
"I don't know, Granny--it seems downright dumb to me, too. I'm hoping it's just a rumor."
"It has to be, Frank--no gov'ment would leave its people unsafe like that!"
The news continued as Frank visited throughout the summer, and it was not good. Granny's disbelief turned to fear and anger as she railed and stormed. "Frank, ain't there a law that says we got a right to our guns?"
"Yes, Granny, the Constitution says we do--it's called the Second Amendment."
"Well, then, they ain't no problem!"
"Yes there is, Granny--the government doesn't follow the rules anymore."
"This gun is my property, Frank! Nobody got a right to my property but me!"
"I know, Granny, but its building up to happen anyway."
"How am I agoin' to protect myself from thieves, like those Brewster boys? It's only my gun that drives "em away, Frank!"
"You'll have to call me when you need help, Granny."
"Call you?" she exploded. You cain't get here for 10 minutes, Frank! By then they'll empty the till and I'll be dead!"
"Granny, they plan to take everybody's guns, including the Brewster boys."
"Now you're talkin' plain dumb, Frank! Them boys is rascals! They ain't agoin' to give the gov'ment their guns! They'll find a way to keep "em, and I'll be the loser!"
Sheriff Frank told the truth. In the end, it was not the sheriff but federal agents that came to take Granny Gatty's gun. Stunned and furious, she refused, then protested vehemently, to no avail. With their authority, backed by threats of legal action, they took Granny Gatty's gun.
Three weeks later, Granny awoke to the sound of breaking glass and muffled footsteps in the hall. As her mind snapped into action, she rolled from her bed, her feet tangling in her white nightgown as she instinctively reached for the shotgun that always stood against the nightstand at night. In a flash of dismay she realized it was no longer there. Her gasp of anguish was cut short by shots from the hallway.
They buried her in the little cemetery up the hill from her store. On her tombstone they wrote:
Gladys Ruthy Osgood.
Killed by the men who took her guns.
• Pamela Romney Openshaw is a Utah Valley speaker and author of "Promises of the Constitution" and "Lessons of the Constitution for Family and Home School Study." She writes the weekly column "Get it Right" for the Daily Herald and for heraldextra.com/ To reach Pamela, you can contact her through her website, PromisesoftheConstitution.com or by email at promisesoftheconstitution@gmail.com.