Former U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice revealed a compelling reason for supporting Second Amendment rights when she sounded off on the heated debate on guns in the United States.
Rice, a black Republican woman who served as President George W. Bush’s top diplomat, brings a unique perspective to the discussion — one that hits the identity-obsessed left right where it hurts.
“Let me tell you why I’m a defender of the Second Amendment,” Rice said. “I was a little girl growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, in the late fifties, early sixties. There was no way that Bull Connor and the Birmingham Police were going to protect you.”
“And so when White Knight Riders would come through our neighborhood, my father and his friends would take their guns and they’d go to the head of the neighborhood. It was a little cul-de-sac and they would fire in the air, if anybody came through.”
“I don’t think they actually ever hit anybody,” Rice added. “But they protected the neighborhood. And I’m sure if Bull Connor had known where those guns were he would have rounded them up.”
“And so, I don’t favor some things like gun registration,” she said. “That said, it’s time to have a national conversation about how we can deal with the problems we have. It’s not going to be any single fix to the terrible events at Parkland,” she explained.
In mentioning Parkland, Rice referred to the location of the February 14th shooting that killed 17 people at a Florida high school. That event has sparked renewed discussion on the role of guns in American life. Second Amendment critics, particularly on the left, have since called for a ban on certain high-capacity weapons, saying less access will make shooting incidents less frequent. Supporters have countered by pointing to the numerous law enforcement blunders leading up to the shooting, suggesting that access to the gun itself was only part of the problem.
Rice’s arguments touch on the idea that all Americans enjoy a God-given right to self-preservation, and that it is imperative that historically marginalized groups (namely black Americans) take advantage of this.
Of course, you would normally expect Rice’s comments to generate at least some sympathy from the left — which presents itself as being more sensitive to racial issues. Apparently, this sentiment goes completely out the window when a story like this comes from a conservative figure.
After Rice’s comments, there was discussion on The View among the show’s hosts about the issue of guns. Meghan McCain expressed concern about President Trump softening on the issue of whether to enact more stringent gun control. When he was campaigning before the 2016 election, he appeared to strongly support gun rights and the Second Amendment. He had built a strong alliance with the NRA. But it appears as though Trump might be caving to mounting pressure — that is, if we are to take the president literally, which is usually problematic.
As Rice said, the solution to shootings such as the one that happened in Florida are complex and multifaceted. One issue that needs to be confronted, however, is the increasing violence in society. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. People of strong morals, ethics and character do not commit violent acts. People who want to harm others will do so even if they don’t have access to guns. That is readily apparent by the variety of other violent crimes that take place that do not involve guns.
Also, many of the mass shootings that have occurred in recent years, going all the way back to Columbine in Colorado in the late 1990s, have involved pharmaceutical drugs. Further information is needed about the impact of those drugs in contributing to people committing violent acts. In either case — linking shooters only to the weapons they use is an incomplete method of investigating the issue.
Dealing with the chronic problem of violence in U.S. society is not easy. We need level-headed people from a variety of professions and experiences to share their knowledge and generate workable solutions. But one thing is clear: Simply doing away with guns is not going to solve the problem of violence, which originates in people’s hearts and minds.
~ Liberty Planet
