Charlotte Observer Observations

In an editorial from The Charlotte Observer noting this week’s NRA convention in the Queen City, and “welcoming the group,” the paper offered this passage:

“While we don’t want to sound churlish in our welcome, we must note that this editorial board and the NRA tend to differ on many gun-related issues. For instance, we don’t believe the Second Amendment grants unlimited freedom of gun-ownership any more than the First Amendment grants free speech rights so absolute they include the right to wrongly shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.”

This is an unfair comparison, because it is hard to believe that any gun owner, whether a member of the NRA or otherwise, would want unlimited freedom of gun-ownership. For example, no one believes criminals should own machineguns.

The rest of the editorial is far kinder, but comparing yelling “fire” in a movie theater to what any gun owner expects regarding gun rights is a gross misunderstanding.