I read John Stockard’s letter to the editor Wednesday with disappointment. Comparing our Second Amendment right to bear arms to getting a driver’s license is just plain wrong. Owning guns and protecting ourselves is a right, not a privilege like driving.

I don’t “keep hiding behind the Second Amendment,” I cover myself with the Constitution like a warm blanket when it is freezing cold. That document is what keeps us free and has made this nation great.

Let’s be completely honest here: The Second Amendment is not for hunting or collecting guns. It is to protect ourselves from intruders and from a tyrannical government. I’m sure Mr. Stockard is all good with the way things are going and our leadership in Washington, but I am not! Taxation without representation and spending are out of control. Those of us who object are called “tea baggers,” “racists” and numerous other derogatory names because we don’t agree with the direction our country is headed.

Mr. Stockard, maybe you should review our Constitution’s Bill of Rights before you go comparing our rights to privileges.

I have a carry permit. I am a proud NRA member, and I have made my family take gun safety classes. It is none of yours or the government’s business how many guns I have, how may rounds my magazines will hold and why I own what I own. Mind your own business!

Mark Lively
Gainesville