How Gun Owners Can Make Society Safer and Protect Americansby Jennifer Freeman
A recent article by the Associated Press (
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/feb/21/022107178.html) brought attention to a group of approximately 500 civilians who have taken it upon themselves to assist law enforcement in protecting the Arizona-Mexico border. Some government officials have raised concerns about their efforts citing lack of training as an accident waiting to happen. In the meantime, the federal government has failed to provide the necessary resources to control the border often claiming that there just aren't enough resources (
http://www.usborderpatrol.com/ ) to do the job.
This represents a perfect opportunity for the government to enact a civilian training program that would allow volunteers to properly assist the federal government at a fraction of the cost of hiring new agents. Such a training program would ensure that the Border Patrol and civilian patrol maintain open lines of communication, have an established chain of command, and have an established code of conduct. This type of program could be very useful in saving the lives of U.S. Border Patrol agents and would have a ripple effect as a lower number of foreign criminals make their way to cities and towns across the United States.
Surely this is one of the most positive examples of American ingenuity that could benefit our country in a variety of ways. Aside from saving tax dollars, it also allows civilian volunteers to express their patriotism by participating in the security of this nation. It could help save the lives of Border Patrol agents, illegal aliens who often encounter many hardships as they cross the desert, and could save the lives of American citizens by thwarting the efforts of terrorists and violent gangs.
Concern over our nation's safety at the border is growing based on numerous news reports outlining the consequences of an uncontrolled border including:
Terrorist organizations enter the United States through Mexico.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40116Mexican organized crime in the United States.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3049533Voter fraud and illegal firearm trafficking.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/9/5/90659.shtmlUltimately, if we are to protect the Second Amendment and the Bill of Rights, we must ensure that our nation's sovereignty and the value of U.S. citizenship remains intact.
http://www.libertybelles.org/articles/safer.htm
