The Constitution and the accompanying Bill of Rights guarantees us certain rights; rights which the Declaration of Independence identifies as “unalienable” and “endowed by [our] Creator.” It is the responsibility of government to preserve and protect those rights.

One of those rights is as stated in the 2nd Amendment, “...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” In legal terms, the word “shall” means exactly that, it must be done. Yet, there have been and continue to be attempts by government and others to infringe upon the rights guaranteed to the people by the 2nd Amendment. Some take the form of Red Flag laws and others attempt to impose restrictions upon the ability of law-abiding people to bear arms.

Recently, while convicted (so-called “non-violent”) criminals are being released from prison in some states, and there are proposals to allow convicted, incarcerated felons to vote, there are other efforts to prevent law-abiding people from legal, Constitutionally-guaranteed ownership of firearms. The old challenges to the 2nd Amendment aren’t stopping and new threats are materializing almost daily. It is our obligation, as those who respect and defend the Constitution, to be vigilant and active in that defense.

One way to be active is to learn about the 2nd Amendment and what is being done to attack it and to defend it. Fountain Hills AZ Tea Party will host a “Protecting the 2nd Amendment” event on Thursday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the FHUSD Learning Center. The guest speakers will be NRA Board Member Carrie Lightfoot, Amanda Sanders, form NRA – Institute of Legislative Action, and Mark Spencer from Judicial Watch and a retired Phoenix police officer. All interested parties are welcome. More details can be found at fhteaparty.us.