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.

The Value of Opposition- Can we Just Cooperate?

The Value of Opposition

 Conservative, Liberal or What?

Conservatives bash liberals and liberals rant against conservatives. The diatribes continue unabated in the media and often become decidedly uncivil. Occasionally temporary exhaustion sets in and the rancor cools, but inevitably it surges again, fueled by a new topic. While I plead for civil conversation, the need for dialogue is very important.

It is easy to forget that we often gain the most from those who disagree with us. Those who challenge our way of thinking open our minds and create open dialogue. Without opposing views, civic conversation can easily become bland, boring reiteration. Those who disagree with us render us great service.

The willingness to evaluate, consider, and tolerate opposing points of view is a sign of maturity. There is a critical purpose to differing opinions—they give us choices, without which we grow narrow. They make us think, and provide a springboard against which we can strengthen our own ideas and convictions. It is an act of courage to put yourself “out there” with an opposing point of view and then take the heat for your opinions. 

In order for opinions to make a significant difference, others must hear them. Writers write so that readers may read, and speakers speak so that listeners may listen. They need not, however, agree with each other. The exchange of ideas takes place to consider new information. We sift, sort, evaluate, and keep what’s useful to us. Contrasting opinions, like exercise, strengthen our mental, moral and psychological muscles as we push against them.

Some fear contrasting voices. Unless the ideas presented by those voices are debauched, that is unwise. Provincial and immature though it is, we often want everyone to agree with us because we think we are right. In the end, however, contrast heightens the look and feel of ideas and brings them into focus. The strong are made stronger by contrast. Conservatives, for instance, can become more secure in their conservatism when they nibble at the liberal banquet fest.

For many conservatives, it is unlikely our well-tested, tightly screened ideas will change. They are part and parcel of our life experiences, woven into our core. There is, then, a real danger of sinking into the boredom of sameness and apathy. We need people with opposite views to give variety and expansion to our horizons. Not all of us take the same journey and watch the same scenery, therefore we end up at different destinations. Who can begrudge that—the world is full of destinations. We need not, do not want to be, and must not be all the same. We can benefit greatly from asking ourselves, “What is it about this opposisng opinion that unsettles me, and how can I justify my disagreement?” That exercise is invaluable.

Ronald Reagan once said, ”This is a wonderful time to be alive. We’re lucky not to live in pale and timid times. We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to stand for something.” Those who challenge our conservative opinions help us determine what we believe and why. There is a place in our lives for gratitude to those who disagree with us. Without them, we would be less than we are.