There are many misconceptions flying about these days. One is that because of my opinions, some think that I am against gun ownership. For the record: I own three rifles (two for hunting, one for target practice) and two shotguns (both for hunting). I have hunted since I was 12 years old. I do not ever want to see our or any government take away people’s guns for no good reason.

I do believe that the Constitution of the United States is a good start for a free and democratic society. News flash! The Constitution is not perfect. And how do I know this? By reading the Constitution, of course.

One good example is the 18th Amendment that brought the prohibition of alcohol. Then a few years later came the 21st Amendment, that repealed the 18th. I guess the Constitution was wrong about the 18th.

Then there was the 14th that afforded all citizens civil rights. Oddly, it excluded Indians, who were the original settlers of this country. The Constitution — wrong again. Then there was suffrage to blacks (15th) and suffrage to women (19th). Looks like the framers of the Constitution left a lot out of the original Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments). I could go on, but space is limited.

Many say the Constitution says what it means and means what it says. if so, let’s look at one word in the Second Amendment: “regulated.” There are those that say “regulated” means “trained.” I looked up “regulated” in a thesaurus. There were 26 synonyms given for “regulated.” Not one of those words was “trained.”

Yes, I do believe in the Constitution and all of its articles, plus all 27 amendments. Especially the ninth that says you can’t use a right to take away other rights.

Peter P. Sirois

Madison