Veterans stand with a constitutional oath to protect the public, rights including the Second Amendment, and gun safety.
By Michael Bass and Prentiss Nelson | November 13, 2023
As veterans of the United States Marine Corps, we each took an oath when we joined our service to protect and defend our country and the Constitution that governs it.
Ultimately, we committed ourselves to protecting our fellow Americans – our neighbors, family and communities. Though our active-duty service is over, we – and so many other fellow veterans – still carry this oath and commitment with us.
We did not put our service to our country and the Constitution down when we transitioned to civilian life.
This year for Veterans Day observances, when our nation honors those who served in the military, we are asking you to reflect on the oath we took and consider your role, as civilians, in helping us uphold it. Because right now in Tennessee, the safety of our people is being challenged.
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic….”
… We are veterans who support and defend the Constitution – including the Second Amendment. We are also parents and community members who are living with heightened concern for where the next tragedy will occur. Dropping our children off at school or going to a football game should not be anxiety-ridden for our family members, and yet they are. Whether you live in a city or in a rural community, nobody is immune to the threat and concern of gun violence or gun-related tragedies.
We must find balance. We must protect the Second Amendment, but mightily defend life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for our people. And we can. Safety and responsibility is the right place to start.
Continue reading at The Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/contributors/2023/11/13/second-amendment-support-our-rights-liberty-and-public-safety/71519611007/
Michael Bass is a native Tennessean and Nashville healthcare executive. After participating in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt, he served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He returned to Nashville to receive an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management School and is an active member of the veteran and healthcare community here.
Prentiss Nelson is a fifth generation Tennessean and Nashville businessman. Prentiss graduated from the United State Naval Academy and served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps with multiple combat deployments to the Middle East.