Letters to the editor for Feb. 14
Don’t confuse the 2nd Amendment
I sometimes wonder about the self-awareness of gun-rights advocates. When I see a protest of mostly white adult males decked out in camouflage clothing openly carrying side-arms and assault rifles where many of them have their faces covered, such a presentation engenders fear much more than empathy. Indeed, it makes me glad we have police.
Most gun rights advocates don’t truly understand the Second Amendment, a document they continually address but probably few have ever read. The main concept they usually leave out is the phrase “well regulated militia.” Yes, that means individuals don’t get to decide what is right or wrong — society as a whole does through democratically enacted laws (regulations).
And when the Second Amendment was passed, it took over a minute to load and fire a single shot. These days a single person can fire a hundred rounds in 60 seconds from many different guns. To say that limiting magazine capacity or restricting the sale of guns that deliver high-volume fire is an infringement of our Second Amendment rights is completely false. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to own firearms, but says nothing about magazine size or gun performance.
Finally, background checks also are no infringement upon our Second Amendment right to own firearms. The right to own a gun is different from the right to obtain it instantaneously.
I’m a gun owner with a Concealed Carry Permit who adamantly believes in delayed, detailed background checks plus the outlawing of all high-capacity magazines and assault rifles.
Restoring voting rights after prison is smart justice
Thank you for the article in The Olympian on Jan. 25 concerning the restoration of voting rights for persons released from Washington state prison, but still under community supervision. Voting rights restoration is now before our state legislature.
For a person who has served his or her time in confinement, voting should be part of that person’s transition to remake their life. Voting is a symbol of participation as a citizen and of reintegration into society. Rather than for punishment, community supervision is intended as a check against regression. Research on the factors that help keep persons with a felony conviction from repeating crimes after release from prison has shown a close link to successful transition to work, to family, and to community (see Manza and Uggen, Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy, Oxford University Press). The right to participate in community by voting is an incentive to become and remain a responsible citizen. It is the most basic symbol of a democratic society.
The bills to restore voting rights to persons under community supervision, SB 6228 and HB 2292, are supported by the Department of Corrections and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.
The US is virtually alone among advanced democracies in denying the vote to large numbers of non-incarcerated offenders. Nineteen U.S. states, including Oregon, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado, grant voting rights to all not in prison. Let Washington state join the leaders in exercising justice that is both merciful and smart.