The Declaration of Independence places “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” at the pinnacle of the American endeavor. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to the world wars, Americans fought and died for that noble premise. The Constitution further exhorts government to “establish Justice . . . provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
But today, across our country, Americans are locked in fear over a clear and present danger to these fundamental rights. As they drop their children off at school, gather at places of worship, go shopping, step out to a concert, movie or restaurant, lurking in the background is that nagging fear that some deranged sociopath will spray the gathering with a hail of bullets. When gunshots ring out all too often at our public gatherings, the common defense and general welfare are imperiled. Fear displaces the blessings of liberty and corrodes established justice.
I’ve always been a strong supporter of the fundamental American rights enshrined in our Bill of Rights, including freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceable assembly and the right to bear arms. But all these rights have their reasonable boundaries. No one is free to use religion to terrorize others; no one is free to shout “Fire!” in a crowded place or to turn an assembly into a riot; and no one should be free to take up arms against the innocent and defenseless.
Balancing these fundamental rights is one of the most important jobs of our government. Traditionally, Congress has been respectful of our rights, giving broad sway for Americans to pray, say, print, assemble, and arm themselves in any way they see fit, so long as they do no harm to others. And when it comes to the Second Amendment’s right “to keep and bear arms,” Congress has been careful not to stifle it, but rather to keep it “well-regulated,” as the amendment itself explicitly states.
As a senator representing a state with a strong rural tradition of lawful gun ownership, I often came down on the side of the National Rifle Association on gun-rights measures. Many of my colleagues — notably including rural Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders — were also reluctant to restrict gun rights. But as time has passed and the scourge of gun violence has taken on horrific proportions, many of us who support and respect the right to bear arms have come to see the need for “well-regulated” measures to contain those arms’ impacts on public safety.