Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is believed to have been the author of a letter that contained this oft-quoted sentence: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
His words have resonated in a society in which the power of government has swelled as both internal and external threats proliferated.
Still, their relevance to any discussion depends on the weight assigned to the word “essential.”
I can give up a nonessential freedom (for example, not wearing a seat belt) much more readily than an essential one (being forbidden to drive when and where I wish after I buckle up).
That’s where the discussion should begin when we ponder Question 3 in the Nov. 8 referendum.
In essence, the bill would require all gun sales, and (here’s the hidden kicker) all “transfers” of firearms, to be processed through a federally licensed dealer.
Read the complete article: Portland Press Herald
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