There was a lot of discussion in the community and on social media about the shooting incident that happened in Cornelia on Sept. 3, much of which centered on Second Amendment protections.
The Constitution gives us many freedoms, for which we are grateful as Americans. Those freedoms are granted to us to govern our society, but they are also given within reason and arranged in the framework of not bringing harm to others.
As an example, we have the freedom of speech, but shouting fire in a crowded theater when there is none is not protected.
When it comes to the Second Amendment, it has been interpreted many ways over the years, but the simplest way is this: You have the right to arm yourself and protect yourself, your property and your family.
Where the gray area came in during the Cornelia incident was the balancing of the scales between self-protection and danger to the public.
Mary Leigh Sheriff-Welborn confronted Stephen Strength, who was in possession of her husband’s stolen truck, in a bank parking lot in the middle of a Saturday. Allegedly, Strength flashed a weapon at her, to which her response was to return to her vehicle and obtain her own firearm.
When she returned, she shot at the truck tire, sending the passengers fleeing and causing Strength to drive off. As he was driving off and attempting to get back to U.S. Highway 441, Welborn fired two more shots openly toward the truck.
She was charged with a misdemeanor for reckless conduct because Cornelia Police determined that she was no longer in fear of her life when Strength was leaving.
According to video footage taken by an associate of the bank, Welborn fired openly and into the public in an attempt to disable the vehicle. This resulted in no one being harmed, but could have been a disaster.
We are fortunate no one was hurt so that we can take this incident as a teaching moment. We cannot fire indiscriminately into our communities. You never know who could be hit by a stray bullet. The VFW was planning to have children in bounce houses on the grassy area adjacent to the gunfire that very day, but the rain caused that part of their event to be canceled.
We do have our Second Amendment rights, but we must respect the safety of our fellow Americans as well while we enjoy that right.