Is terrorism the biggest problem?

For a few dreadful moments, I thought I didn't have an opinion on anything tonight. But then I realized that I have a reputation to uphold; I had to find something. So I looked harder and found this little gem of an article. It's really short, so you should read it, but if you are lazy enough not to: it says that the NRA is saying that the government shouldn't take away gun rights from suspected terrorists, comparing it to Cold War McCarthyism.

I am a total supporter of the Constitution. It bothers me whenever the government or individuals take away or harm others' rights, because the Constitution provides for freedom, and that shouldn't be taken. There's always the debate over a strict interpretation or a loose one, and both have their benefits. However, when deciding whats legal and not, we must always keep in mind the question of whether our decisions will prevent someone else from their freedom. That's why it makes a lot of sense to argue for gun rights for people who haven't been convicted of terrorism.

However, if we were to take a look back in American history, we would find that civil liberties such as the right to bear arms have been taken away before in times of military necessity. So why would this situation be any different? We are in a war-like state, even if it's against an unclear enemy. If we were to look back in history, though, we would also find that terms like 'terrorism' have been used quite loosely to convict individuals. Will terrorists always be suicide bombers, or will they end up being school-ground bullies? After all, they are terrorists to the kids they beat up.

It's kind of like the people who say that the new immigration law will cause racial profiling. Opponents of this law will probably say that it will prevent many Muslim Americans from owning guns. Maybe that is true, maybe not, but I want to say this: more people die every year from car accidents than from terrorism. More people die from cigarettes each year than from terrorism. More people die from choking on food each year than from terrorism. So should we just ban car ownership from people who have caused accidents, cigarettes from prospective smokers, and food from those that have choked? And should we leave all those things free for everyone else, just totally single out those groups? It's kind of ridiculous, and so can the hype be about terrorism.

Yes, it's a terrible thing to do, but killing a family by hitting their car after a night of drinking is horrible too, and that happens much more often. We must protect the rights of individuals until they prove that they are not responsible enough to have them. If, as a country, we don't do this, we will end up living in an oppressive, dictatorial nation.