I am now the liberals target

Many of you watched my appearance in a piece on "Hannity's America" on Fox News last Thursday night. The response has all been positive, but with any political discussion there are opposing views. That is what great about our country, we have the First Amendment, guaranteeing our freedom to discuss the matter openly.

I am descended directly from a Revolutionary War Solider that served five years under George Washington's command in the Continental Army. After the war he moved his family from New Jersey to the mountains around Keyser in 1782. I'm extremely proud of my heritage, my nation and my state. My ancestor took up arms against the British to form a nation based on freedom, even though he was only a foot solider, he took that same risk as all the patriots. Ben Franklin said it best at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately. " While I'm in no immediate danger of being hung for exercising my First Amendment rights, I do risk alienation from some friends and acquaintances that do not share my views. It is important that we have honest discussions of how government works and also just as important that you stick to your convictions.

Saturday on Facebook I posted a story entitled, "Military demands details on soldiers private guns." It is a story about infringement on the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. Now I am a gun owner and strongly believe that everyone should own a gun, but I fully understand that there are people that do not agree. That is their right and it is their right to publicly oppose my view.

In follow ups to my Facebook post about the attack on the Second Amendment, one came from Jim Shumaker in which he said, "Gary ive never heaard you say a positive thing about our country or our state." Now Jim has every right to be opposed to the right to bear arms, but he should attack the message not the messenger. I will be happy to defend why I believe that people should have the right to keep and bear arms and he can explain why he disagrees with me. Questioning my love of state and country doesn't offer an opposing opinion, just a personal attack. In West Virginia and most of rural America where the owning of a gun is as much a right of passage as it is a civil right, it would be hard for Jim to offer an opposing argument that many would agree with.

That being said, the personal attack is something that liberals fall back on when they feel they are unable to defend their position. When a person begins to attack the messenger in an argument, then it typically means they have lost the argument. I would invite Jim to point out to me where it is un-American or un-West Virginian to defend the right to bear arms. For that matter to point out where it is un-American or un-West Virginian to disagree with public policy of any kind. In fact the opposite is true. It is very patriotic, if not a duty, to express your disagreement with government. The Founding Fathers wrote into the First Amendment the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" to make sure the United States says a government of the people and by the people.

We must hold politicians accountable. We must challenge them on items with which we disagree. We must hold discussions amongst ourselves and educate ourselves on the issues of the day. If we do not follow politics, then politics will follow us. I invite Jim Shumaker to challenge my positions on the issues. He can make a follow up to this post and I will defend my positions as necessary, but leave the personal attacks at home.