Editor:
I am responding to recent statements and actions taken by the Montezuma County sheriff and other sheriffs in Colorado. I am referring to their resistance to enforcing the laws of the state of Colorado. I find it difficult to believe that a law enforcement individual or agency, in responding to a call, would prefer that they face individuals with an assault rifle with a 100-round magazine or bullets with shredding capabilities because they support the people’s Second Amendment rights more than the safety of themselves or their communities. Most law-enforcement agencies throughout the rest of the United States firmly believe that the ability to obtain powerful, people-killing weapons not only dramatically contributes to the crime rate, but makes it far more dangerous to combat it.
Many people uphold their Second Amendment rights but have don’t consider it the most important amendment. Equally important are the amendments assuring equal protection under the law and the Constitution’s most important tenet, contained in the preamble, ensuring life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I, as an American citizen, refuse to relinquish my other rights under the Constitution so that misguided, deranged, and unstable individuals can exercise the one right that guides their actions and places the rest of us at greater risk.
Some individuals have been forced to make difficult decisions when their moral code conflicts with their duty. When it became impossible to compromise that code, they resigned. If they disagreed with the law, they didn’t disobey it, but rather worked to change it. It would be borderline anarchy if law-enforcement officials chose which laws to uphold. I have voted for and backed candidates who advocated sensible gun laws that protect all the people. I have contributed to the elected officials’ recent campaigns to combat recall elections and will continue to do so. Finally, I will vote for and champion candidates that believe it is more important to do their job, not merely to keep it.
Janice Prather
Cortez