To The Daily: Liberal Fallacy No. 21: "If cars are registered and drivers licensed, why not do the same with guns and gun owners?" First, we don't have an amendment to the Constitution specifically protecting our right to own and drive cars from government infringement.

Second, even if the Second Amendment were repealed, the Tenth Amendment would still prohibit federal involvement because the Constitution does not specifically authorize Fedzilla to regulate guns or gun owners. Only states would be allowed to do so. But even state regulations would still be questionable because of the Ninth Amendment, which acknowledges that our rights exist whether enumerated in the Constitution or not.

Third, for the sake of argument, suppose five ignorant or corrupt Supreme Court justices threw out amendments Two, Nine and Ten. Gun regulation would still not stop criminals or lunatics.

Just as registration and licensing can't prevent a felon or lunatic from buying, borrowing or stealing a car, and using it to commit a crime, neither can the registration of guns nor the licensing of gun owners prevent the same thing.

Even though the purpose of a driver's license is to ensure drivers are minimally competent, there are still plenty of idiots on the road who clearly don't know how to drive, and if the nightly news is any indication, many of them are driving with revoked licenses. Instead of suggesting we subject gun owners to the same bureaucratic red tape, maybe we should be asking why the licensing of drivers appears to be so ineffective.

J. Kennon Ledbetter

Trinity