Defending regulation of the US Constitution Second Amendment has ended the career of long-time Guns & Ammo technical editor Dick Metcalf proving that it takes a very brave person to challenge the constitutional right to bear arms.
Metcalf wrote a column entitled ‘Let’s Talk Limits: Do certain firearms regulations really constitute infringement?’ that drew such anger from the magazine’s readership that he was sacked.
The column talks about the language of the Second Amendment that reads “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Metcalf wrote: “Note carefully: Those last four words say ‘shall not be infringed.’ They do not say ‘shall not be regulated.’ Well regulated is, in fact, the initial criterion of the amendment itself.
“I bring this up because way too many gun owners still seem to believe that any regulation of the right to keep and bear arms is an infringement. The fact is, all constitutional rights are regulated, always have been, and need to be.”
He goes on to advocate 16 hours of training to obtain a concealed carry licence and said that he had seen unsafe behaviour by some gun owners to support his view.
“I firmly believe that all US citizens have a right to keep and bear arms, but I do not believe that they have a right to use them irresponsibly,” he wrote.
One report on the fallout that appears on AccurateShooter.com said that “This infuriated the magazine’s readers, who raised a storm of protest, flooding the internet with condemnations of Metcalf and the magazine. In damage control mode, Guns & Ammo immediately fired Metcalf and published an apology to its subscribers.”
Editor Jim Bequette issued the letter of apology in which he said “I made a mistake by publishing the column. I thought it would generate a healthy exchange of ideas on gun rights.”
However, Bequette admitted that he “miscalculated” the vehement backlash that the column generated and ended the long-serving Metcalf’s career.
“Dick Metcalf has had a long and distinguished career as a gunwriter, but his association with Guns & Ammo has officially ended,” he wrote.
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