It’s a thin line

The line between faithfulness and foolishness is not always visible. The same act carried out by two different people can be interpreted more than one way. Similarly, it can be difficult to discern between rights and reality. There are governmental rights we have that are defined by legislative bodies in cities, counties, states, federal and international levels. Then there are rights that fall under the category of inalienable rights that we have from birth and may be referred to as God-given such as, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The reality of governmental and inalienable rights sometime find themself shipwrecked on the shores of reality.

The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution states emphatically about the right of the citizens of the United States to bear arms. In other words, it is lawful to have possession of weapons. The right to have them and the reality of who has them does not always line up very well. Philando Castille, a registered gun owner, informed the officer who shot him that he was licensed and had possession of his rightfully owned gun in his car. The organization that is supposed to stand up for these rights, the National Rifle Association (NRA), even had its spokesperson imply that it was Mr. Castille’s own fault that he was killed. The ship carrying rights sometime crash against the jagged edges of the rocks of reality.

Interestingly enough, the NRA supported stricter gun regulation laws in the 1960’s, like the Mulford Act in California signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan. Its’ goal was to prohibit the public from the carrying of loaded firearms without a permit. The inspiration for this Act was a 1967 visit to the state assembly by a group of citizens known as the Black Panther Party. The Panthers understood the laws that allowed for them to legally demonstrate while carrying their weapons with them. The reporting on this event made it seem as though there was an armed invasion when it was simply citizens exercising their rights. The rocks of reality have struck another blow to the idea of rights.

Is it illegal for an African American to be in possession of a legally obtained firearm? Certainly, it is not. Philando Castille was a legal gun owner, but reality of race-based policing kicked in. The Black Panther Party in California were legal gun owners, the reality of race-based policy kicked in. It is no wonder that there seems to be selective outrage over who has a gun in their possession. I will take a black basketball player twirling a gun over a white teenager walking thru a crowd any day.

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