Today instead of a class note I want to write an editorial. I think all Americans should be concerned about the executive order made yesterday by President Biden. Try to forget for a moment, if you can, whether you agree with Biden or not and try instead to focus on the procedure. Democrats in Congress and the President want to pass gun laws. The reason they have not been able to do so is that Congress does not have the support. It is not that they do not want to take up the issue, it is an issue that cannot pass. There are not enough votes in the Senate to pass new gun laws. I am not even talking about rule 22, they do not have a majority because there are a few moderate Democrats who oppose this.
The President, and yes past presidents, seem to think that they and their party are the will of the people. Presidents are not, Congress is. The Founders created the Electoral College for this very reason instead of a direct popular vote for President. Congress is made up from both parties in a balance that represents the people. Knowing this is why the Constitution gave only Congress the right to pass laws. When a president says that because Congress will not act then I will, he is not representing the people, but opposing them. When a president goes against the will of Congress, and yes sometimes not acting is acting, he is going against the people and hence has become a tyrant. The Founders were scared of a tyrannical president when they wrote our founding document, hence they put in checks. Bypassing Congress goes against the very fabric of the Constitution.
Now quickly let us turn back to the content, we need some commonsense gun laws; the mass shootings need to stop. However, the fact that one man and his pen can make such an important decision by himself is the reason we have the Second Amendment to begin with. It was an armed citizenry that rose up against a tyrant in 1776, the Founders wanted Americans to have that right if needed again.
Historically Speaking 