I like to think that we all have an inherent sense of liberty, yet it shocks me that so many people are so willing to just give up one of the most essential liberties we have: the right to bear arms, ergo, the right to revolution.

It is easy to think we live in a country that will never go against the will of the people, yet history proves otherwise. Time after time, from the Romans to the Nazis, freedom was replaced by tyranny. My ancestors did not believe their government could turn against them, and they perished in the Nazi death camps for the crime of being Jewish. So I believe stricter gun control brings us one step closer to repeating history.

Current gun control legislation does nothing to stop mass shootings — all it does is trample on the Second Amendment, which is not about hunting or sport shooting. It is about resistance to tyranny, and I do not know about you, but I do not want to live as a slave.

As such, I will keep my assault rifle with my 30-round magazine, so when the time comes to fight, my countrymen and I will have the necessary tools to establish liberty once again.

HAL BERGER

FRESHMAN, JEWISH STUDIES

After reading the Feb. 7 staff editorial “Deciding under the gun,” supporting new gun control measures, it became immediately apparent that the writers of this article are grossly uneducated on the aforementioned issue. Consequently, false information is presented as indisputable fact, thus potentially swaying the mind of a reader who is on the fence.

For example, if a 21-year-old citizen in good legal standing were to decide to purchase a handgun, he or she would need to state whether that firearm is for his or her own use. Should they lie, they have already broken the law. Adding additional laws will accomplish nothing. It will, however, make those of us with spotless records have to jump through hoops.

Oh, and it should be noted that California and Chicago have some of the strictest gun control measures in the country. They also have some of the most shootings. Much like how the United Kingdom saw its gun-related crimes significantly increase after banning them.

Sadly, gun crimes cannot be eliminated by adding laws. Murder is already illegal. The people doing these terrible things decided long ago that they just don’t care.

MICHAEL BERON

SOPHOMORE, LETTERS AND SCIENCES

I’d like to point out that nothing under current national gun control legislation prohibits the possession of “high-capacity” magazines, but rather the sale, manufacture or transfer. This state’s gun enthusiasts have been going to Virginia and Pennsylvania for years to get high-capacity magazines. Clearly, such magazines pose little to no threat to public safety because they are already present in this state but are seldom used in crimes. What state law does do is force state money to be spent out of the state.

Only two of 398 murders in Maryland in 2011 involved a rifle of any sort. Nationwide, “assault rifles” are only used in about 2 percent of murders. In fact, more people are killed with hands and feet than with an “assault rifle.”

Also, The Diamondback did not explain what an “assault rifle” is. They are no different than any other semiautomatic firearm (with one shot per pull of the trigger), except in appearance. They look like military rifles, but in fact have more in common with traditional looking semiautomatic hunting rifles than they do with their full-auto (multiple shots per pull of trigger) counterparts, which the 1934 National Firearms Act regulates. These rifles are, in fact, used for self-defense, hunting and competition, because they are light, accurate, reliable, adaptable and simple.

The Second Amendment isn’t about hunting or sport, but the ability of the people to defend themselves against both tyranny and other threats. You can hunt with a battle rifle, but you can’t fight with a hunting rifle.

KENNETH LAN

PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF THE RIFLE AND PISTOL CLUB

JUNIOR, HISTORY