Larry Ward, the founder of Gun Appreciation Day, recently defended his choice of celebrating our uninhibited right to bear arms to coincide with our holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr., saying "I think Martin Luther King Jr. would agree with me if he were alive today that if African Americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country’s founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in our history."
This statement by Mr. Ward is so offensive to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that I feel compelled to respond. Dr. King was a man of peace, who not only spoke out for racial equality but against all social injustices. He endured so much in the hope that someday we would live in a country where everyone was not judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.
Whenever I hear Dr. King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, I am left with a profound sense of sadness at his passing, but I will forever be thankful to him for the life and sacrifices that he made. It was on 4/3/68 in Memphis that Dr. King stood before a church congregation and said, "We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really
matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. I don't mind.
Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its
place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's
will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked
over. And I've seen the Promised Land.
I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we,
as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm
not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
"I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now." Does that sound like a man who would arm himself with assault weapons, shot first, ask questions later and hide behind the second amendment? Dr. King knowingly laid down his young life in the hope that one day every man, woman and child could break bread together and live in a prosperous, equal, and free society. Millions of Americans and people around the world, myself included, will honor his memory on Monday and forever.
Does Mr. Ward believe that Malcolm X, The Black Panthers, or Louis Farrakhan have a better road map. Some people who feel that they have suffered great injustices either personally and/or collectively through the generations may feel that non violence, turn the other cheek, is not the best solution and therefore may agree with Mr. Ward.
Finally, what would Larry Ward say to anarchists who feel that they are oppressed, enslaved by the government, and can't take it anymore? A vary scary thought indeed.
I will concede that Mr. Ward's statement was made as hyperbole, since I can not believe that a rational person could possibly condone such a thought. That being said, I also feel so passionate about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that I just wanted to express my outrage over Mr. Ward's statement.
For those who are opposed to New York's new gun laws maybe we should adopt Oklahoma's Open Carry Law. Just imagine how much fun New Year's Eve in Times Square would be.
I'm personally in favor of a repeal of the second amendment and believe that private citizens should not be allowed to own guns. I also realize that I am out of the main stream and that sensible gun laws can be effective in reducing gun violence. President Obama just completed his speech and I was impressed by they way he asked the American People to demand that their elected representatives do the right, common sense, thing on guns.
Just my personal thoughts,
Don T
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