Letter: If you value Constitution, you'll vote for Harris

Gordon Cucullu
St. Augustine
Published Thursday, October 26, 2006


However, what became clear from the incident is that certain politicians will seize on convenient excuses to confiscate legal weapons from citizens who in the absence of police authority may need those weapons to protect life and property.

Many politicians claim the Second Amendment does authorize citizen ownership of firearms. Further, they say that more citizens are injured by private firearms than by criminals. Finally, they claim that few real criminals are deterred by an armed citizenry. All of these claims are patently false and are really designed to restrict and ultimately to confiscate private firearms. It flows logically that if Constitutional Amendments like the first and fourteenth have validity, so does the second. All must be respected.

It is incumbent on all voters to examine closely the records of politicians vying for office and determine if their Second Amendment support is in consonance with citizens' best interests. It is revealing -- and highly indicative of political learnings -- that incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson received a solid "F'' rating from the National Rifle Association while challenger, Rep. Katherine Harris, was rated "A.''

Those among us who value constitutional safeguards and treasure traditional values would be well-served to keep those ratings in mind this November when we cast our ballots.