Here a just a few of many quotes that support what I just posted. I am trusting that all of you know who these people were and the role they played in creating this republic. Please pay particular attention to the last one. Stating who the “militia” was to be and what weapons should be at their disposal. Alexander Hamilton, "If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is no recourse left but in the exertion of the original right of self-defense which is paramount to all forms of positive government. Thomas Jefferson, "And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms..." George Washington, "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s teeth and keystone under independence." Noah Webster, "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. the supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States." - An Examination into the Leading Principles of the federal Constitution (1787) in Pamphlets to the Constitution of the United States (P. Ford, 1888). Tenche Coxe, “Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress shall have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American…The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people.”

This is not about which kind of guns are "safe" and which are not, which type people “think” are OK to own, though some want that to be the argument, stupid as it is. This is an ethical issue about rights and freedoms which this country's founders agreed are "natural", not given by any man or any government. Those crafters of our nation also knew the natural propensity of man and rulers to seek to control others, which ultimately is what the American Revolution was all about. Knowing that, they crafted our constitution not only to state those individual rights but to limit, to control and hopefully to prevent any rulers from usurping those rights and to prevent mob type rule. Our Constitution was not and is not a random list of things that simply sounded good for the times. It was thoughtfully and carefully crafted as a whole. And still today it must be taken as a whole, once you start chipping away at any part of it you increase the danger that tyranny will rise up. The price of liberty was and always will be blood, human blood, and if our liberties are lost, we shall never regain them except at the price of blood. They must not be lost. The bottom line in this particular issue is that as an American, NO ONE has the right to tell another American what they may own and what they may not, within the limitations written in our Constitution, and ONLY within those limitations. I appreciate too that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were intentionally written so that anyone with an 8th grade education could easily understand them. Says a lot about those who just cannot seem to understand it today as products of modern education doesn’t it? People are no longer being taught the most basic understanding of how our Constitution was intended to function.

I completely support the sheriffs of Utah and their statement in full. I ask those who object: When was the last time you read through the Federalist Papers or reviewed the Constitutional Convention of 1787? I trust those declarations. How can you know that tyranny can't happen now, because it's 2013? I prefer guarantees as written. Thank you Sheriffs!

Sheriff Winder should start looking for another job. Is a double-talker or a naive fool, unfit to be a sheriff.

slcfirefighter - "Redneck" is not a catch-all for people you disagree with, it is a slur referring poor, white laborers. And insulting their intelligence just makes it clear that you are the unreasonable party here, not the ones you insult. dregstudios & noely - 9/11 is not the issue here. The issue of gun control vs gun rights has been going on since before the second amendment was written. That's specifically why it was written - to end the debate. What 9/11 has done, though, is inspire a slew of insipid laws, beginning with the PATRIOT act and continuing up through the NDAA for the last two years, which openly violate the Constitution. These are not the cause of pro-gun beliefs, but they demonstrate why most of the country feels the second amendment is important. While the founding fathers may never have envisioned high capacity magazines in the hands of private citizens, they also never envisioned them in the hands of the government. The amendment was enacted to ensure that the government would never be more powerful than it's people. As to the fiction that deaths would stop if you restricted or eliminated guns, guns are simply the weapon of choice in American society. There have been mass killings with knives, improvised explosives, chemical weapons, and at least one attempt with a biological weapon. Gun control is, and always has been, motivated by fear and ignorance - and it has always been accompanied by outspoken people who called their opposition fearful and ignorant. If the gun fairy took away all guns, those who die because they are careless would find other ways to be lethally careless, and those who murder would find other ways to murder. They always have and always will.

In response to some of the ignorant comments below. These men are reaffirming the oath that they took when they accepted office. "To protect and defend the constitution." The Constitution is the bedrock on which our Republic was founded. It was written by men far wiser than you or I and with a great deal of thought as to its provisions. Calling honorable men "Rednecks" and "Stupid", unfortunately shows weak mental faculties. It is sheep like you that have willfully and blindly delivered entire societies, piece by piece, into the hands of dictators through the centuries. Never understanding the full measure of your deeds until it was too late. Creating societies in which your children grew up under oppressive conditions. Always wading into the darkness, blissfully unaware, believing "that can't happen here" until it does.

Thank you Sheriffs of Utah for standing up for our Constitutional rights. I would hope those who negatively posted will realize why we must stand up for our rights as the government is continually chipping away and soon we will no longer have any freedoms left. We get it! Take the time to research why this is so important.... Dictators began slowly taking away the people's freedoms and what happened? Genocide! It's not that far-fetched. Read about Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc....killed their own people. That freedom we enjoy was bought and paid by many men who believed our rights were worth standing for. Again, thank you sheriffs! It takes courage to stand when others except anything they hear. Also, as far as the comment about the UK (Other countries with similar social structures such as the UK don’t have this problem and don’t have guns in the hands of every man, woman and child.) Statistics prove this is false. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/602933_10151240891581446_303280292_n.jpg

Note to Utah sheriffs. Your great Americans. Let me know when and where to back you up....I'm not the only one that will stand up beside you....shame on those of you that would post negative comments and disrespect not only those that serve locally but abroad. It's not about assault rifles. It's about freedom that you obviously take for granted and expect others to spill their blood on your behalf.

To my husband & myself this proves the mentality of not only gun enthusiasts but, now the Sheriff's dept. with their "open ended" letter. It IS wrong & I agree with the comments pointing out the stupidity of their letter. There is NO need for assault rifles & unending amounts of ammunition for said. Such weaponry would NOT have changed 9/11 one iota!!! WHY don't our police/sheriffs etc. get it? What is wrong with them?

As much of America holds a death grip on their guns, we should be asking why we are so dependent on the idea of protecting ourselves and from what? We live in a post-9/11 society in which fear is bred 24 hours a day through television and media. Other countries with similar social structures such as the UK don’t have this problem and don’t have guns in the hands of every man, woman and child. Read more about Living in a Society of Fear and how we are at War with Ourselves at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/living-in-society-of-fear-ten-years.html