**SPONSORED CONTENT BY ALLEN’S GUN SHOP**
A couple of years ago, four children were involved in firearms incidents in a month or two in this area. Three were injured. Firearms are left unsecured in easy reach of children and thieves. Guns are sold daily between individuals with little thought of the buyer’s history. Several people go into a restaurant with rifles, never considering how uncomfortable other patrons are made to feel. Criminals aside, too often, ordinary people are irresponsible, causing ownership issues. Here’s a quick overview of the constitutional amendments addressing gun ownership:
The U.S Constitution, Amendment II: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
TN State Constitution § 26. Weapons; right to bear arms: That the citizens of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime.
The right to keep and bear arms, okay… how about the necessity of accepting responsibility for one’s actions? I own several guns. I know where they are at all times. Over the years, I’ve developed a sense of something wrong if I can’t remember for a moment where my gun is, I stop and make sure it is secured. Do you know where your gun is right now? Is it loaded?
Most of the time if you carry a loaded firearm it should be concealed. Why? Advertising that you are carrying a gun makes disarming you easier. The surprise element is gone. Please be sensitive to others around you, too.
What about barring guns from business premises? Business owners, I want to be able to cross your parking lot without feeling helpless. Even in daylight people have been attacked in parking lots. I hesitate to encourage individuals to pull a gun if someone is shooting in a public building. I’ll leave it at that.
What about teachers carrying firearms or at least having access to one in case of emergency? Yes, with the proper, in depth training. If you are not proficient with your weapon, if you don’t practice with it, keep it clean and store it safely: get with it. At twenty one, with no criminal record, you have the right to keep and bear arms. You do not have the right to be irresponsible and even incompetent.
Elke Allen
Allen’s Gun Shop
925 Dover Rd
Clarksville, TN
931.552.3418
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