Op-Ed: Founders were straight shooters

By Rory Ryan, Publisher and Editor
Hillsboro (OH) Times-Gazette

There are amendments to our great Constitution. And then, there are
amendments.

As every one of us knows, the first 10 amendments to the U.S.
Constitution, collectively, are known as the Bill of Rights. I'm partial
to these initial 10 - of which, I have three personal favorites.

Click 'Read More' for additional excerpts from the editorial.

• Amendment I - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified Dec.
15, 1791. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This one is a real beaut.' Many newspapers incorporate it in their
respective mastheads or call boxes. We have as well. Basically, it lets
us speak our mind without fear of government retribution. The Founding
Fathers thought it important enough to make it numero uno. Good call.

• I also like Amendment IV quite a bit. This is the Search and Seizure
Amendment. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the
place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Like with Amendment I, the Founders were right on the mark with this
one. And if you don't believe it, just try getting into a redneck's
house after midnight without an invitation.

• Which brings us to Amendment II - The Right to Bear Arms. "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."
This amendment is known in some circles as the one that defends all others.

Still, the Second Amendment comes under fire (pun intended) on an almost
annual basis.

For a nation that once cherished its firearms, and respected them as
much as a well-honed ax or a noble steed, many of us no longer
appreciate gun ownership among private citizens.

To that point, always remember that the good Constitution also notes
that private citizens have more rights than public government. (After
all, it is our government.)

...There's a security guard in Colorado who ought to be a national hero for
her (yes, her) actions to stop a mass murderer. The murderer's name is
not worth repeating.

But hers is.

Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard at the New Life center in
Colorado Springs, Colo., shot and wounded the gunman before he finished
the job with a bullet to his head.

By exercising her Second Amendment rights, Assam prevented more deaths.

Click here to read the entire editorial in the Hillsboro (OH) Times-Gazette.