It has dawned upon me that the quest for freedom in this country is distorted. As long as one cannot drink a beer on the street but can conceal carry a Desert Eagle with armor-piercing rounds into
an English literature class, I feel that the only freedom that exists, is the unchecked gun-lobbying group’s freedom to profit on false fears and susceptible minds conditioned with war and violence.
As you are probably aware, Montana is inching closer to fundamentally changing the fabric of her culture, by moving into an arena of extremism driven by fear and corrupt politics.
A change in leadership has hijacked a modest and humble conservatism. It has plundered the political bridge on which historically two moderately opposing political parties compromised in favor
of serving the whole of Montana equally, turning a political majority into a mob rule.
Instead of sacking the Capitol building, they are sacking the peace and camaraderie that we have held for one another for generations. These newly elected officials, radicalized by Washington politics, are co-opting its “dog and pony show” here at home. The insidious reversal of our social norms, signals a departure from what we hold dear and are proud of.
The conceal-carry legislation that is making headlines, threatens to put teachers and students into its crosshairs.
State legislators are proudly thrusting the risk of violence into peaceful environments such as schools and hospitals, stripping oversight committees of their freedom to regulate social environments.
If Montana truly values the 2nd Amendment, it has to see this radical bill as a potential threat to its posterity. When a pendulum swings hard in one direction, gravity will see to it that it swings back hard in the other. Our Montanan identity is based on moderation and cooperation, and this bill is its undoing.
Noah ten Broek
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 2/7/21