The Gray Area- Liesl

The Gray Area

 

In March of 1776, Patrick Henry, a colonial gentleman gave his famous “Give me Liberty or Give me Death!” speech to a group of colonists gathered in the St. John’s Church in Richmond, in which he proclaimed that he would rather die than be oppressed by Britain for a day longer. He was, along with the rest of the 13 colonies, willing to die rather than live under Britain; a country was taking away their freedoms. They wanted the freedom to live without oppression, and the freedom to practice religion as they wished. They wanted the freedom that they had been promised when they moved to America.

America was founded on the promise of freedom and equal rights for all. The pilgrims in 1620 left their homeland in England because America was the supposed land of opportunity, where you could make a future for yourself and no one would tell you that you had to do this, or couldn’t do that. You were free. Free from England, free from the Church that was becoming more and more corrupt by the day.

Our society has evolved in a scarred, awful way. From the very beginning, there were problems. There were tense relationships with the local Indians when the pilgrims first arrived, and on and on and on throughout the centuries of American history there has been problem after problem about slavery, skin color, immigrant nationalities, and more. Suspicions against foreigners during wars. People against people because of who they were, because of the way that they lived their lives

And even 237 years after the foundation of the United States of America, the land of opportunity and freedom, with laws in place to protect one’s freedom, one’s rights, and one’s welfare, Americans are still not free. There are still laws that dictate what you can and can’t do, and the concept of freedom is still being debated. The definition of freedom is still one that is so entirely vague, that there is nothing that defines freedom in the Constitution.

Take the shooting in Newton, Connecticut. Almost instantly after the shooting, people were clamoring for gun laws and regulations for gun owners. They didn’t want anyone to be able to go up to a gun store and buy a gun, to use as they wish, even with a permit. They didn’t want another slaughtering like the one in the Sandy Hook Elementary School. They say that it is their right to be safe from people who own guns.

Then, when Congress responded with ideas for laws about guns, and regulations for their use, there are the people who do own guns that they have to please. They have permits, and their gun ownership is perfectly legal. They say that it is their right to own a gun. They say that they have the right to carry a gun.

So, where do the guarantees of freedom, the guarantees of a safe, and a free country intersect with what people want to be able to do? Where does it intersect with the people who want to be able own guns, or sell drugs? Where is the line of reason between what is best for the national safety, and people’s personal interpretation of freedom?

*I realize that this might be a little bit... controversial, but I wrote this for MLK day and I want feedback