By S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson
The Founding Fathers made it very clear: the ability to bear arms is a fundamental right of citizenship in these United States. The America they created is a place where ‘We the People’ are guaranteed the right to defend ourselves, our families and our property. We must not allow emotions to alter or abridge our fundamental constitutional rights.
As your Attorney General, I have a sworn duty to uphold the Constitutions of South Carolina and the United States – including the Second Amendment. I am fully committed to doing just that.
Like many South Carolinians, I am a gun owner. I am also the proud father of two toddlers. Many of us learned how to shoot and handle guns responsibly from our fathers. It is a tradition passed from one generation to another, and it’s something I plan to pass along to my children. Taking away our constitutional rights will not make our children safer. It will make them less safe.
Like every parent, I want my children to be protected when they are in the classroom. We have a sacred obligation to look after children. That’s why I strongly support training and arming resource officers in schools. It is also why I am opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach to gun control measures.
Some in Washington, D.C. are solely directing their focus on restricting the Second Amendment, without addressing factors which directly impact violence in America. For instance, pop culture continually promotes violence through bloody movies, graphic video games and song lyrics which encourage violence. Another key component of this problem is the ability of mentally ill people to gain access to firearms. We need to better identify these individuals and treat them, instead of chipping away at the Second Amendment. Limiting a constitutional right is not a form of mental health treatment.
This issue is best addressed by the states, not by an over-reaching federal government in Washington. Like most every other public policy issue, it is best to keep as much power as we can at the state and local levels. I am a firm believer in both the Second and Tenth Amendments, and I remain opposed to constant attempts by the federal government to erode them.