Yesterday, I reported on the progress of HR
1078, the bill written by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that would
fund summer programs for civics teachers. Gun
Owners of America opposes the bill on the amazing grounds
that it is "anti-gun." They are asking their members
to send the following form letter to Congress:
Dear Representative ________________,
If H.R. 1078 is enacted, educators will be encouraged to teach
that I do not have an individual right to keep and bear arms. It
will establish Presidential Academies on teaching civics and history
which will use anti-gun texts like We the People — the
textbook that conforms to the federal guidelines on teaching civics
and history.
This book encourages students to start questioning the
wisdom of the Second Amendment, asking the student whether the right
to keep and bear arms is still as "important today" as
it was in the eighteenth century and to decide what "limitations"
should be placed on the right. This kind of discussion treats the
Second Amendment as though it were not protecting a God-given, individual
right.
But the individual rights view is exactly what our Founders intended
and what the American public still believes today. An ABC News Poll
in 2002 found that almost three-fourths of all Americans believe
that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the
rights of "individuals" to own guns.
We already have too much Federal involvement in education, and
the results have not been good. As control over education becomes
more and more federalized, it seems that the ideas which children
are learning become more and more radical. Please vote against H.R.
1078, a bill which is decidedly anti-gun.
The We the People
curriculum and textbook are widely supported by conservatives
(as well as liberals) because they provide rigorous and balanced materials
on American institutions. This letter reflects a fear of open and
balanced discussion that should be deeply embarrassing to all proponents
of the Second Amendment and of freedom. I would hope that some would
come to the defense of We the People.
PS. The
Maple River Education Coalition says that HR 1078 "is in
clear violation of the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
(This is a bill, remember, that provides very modest federal support
for voluntary summer classes for teachers. It’s also a bill that invites
students to read and debate the 10th Amendment, which might cause
some to gain appreciation for states’ rights.)