I know you think it's a bit early to be talking about the elections scheduled for 2008, but I think we need to get started now if we are to have any serious effect on the outcome.

Gun enthusiasts beware! There are a large number of gun control politicians out there looking for an opportunity to wage war on supporters of the Constitution of the United States.

Like many others, I believe that gun control legislation violates the letter as well as the spirit of the United States Constitution. The Second Amendment of the Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Many gun control advocates say that the amendment was meant to protect the rights of individual states to establish militia. Some even go so far as to state that the Second Amendment -- ratified in 1787 -- doesn't really refer to "the people," but rather to the "National Guard," which, incidentally, was created some 130 years later, in 1917.

If we are to believe this, we most assuredly must also believe that in the Constitution, phrases such as "the right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," and "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people" refer not to individuals within our nation, but instead to certain government agencies.

Do we really believe, as one columnist has inferred, that ordinary people in the presence of a gun turn into slaughtering monsters that revert back to normal when guns are removed?

When I was much younger, an adult could order a gun, shotgun or rifle through the Sears & Roebuck catalog and the firearm would be delivered to the door. No forms, no paperwork, no fingerprints, and no waiting period. And there was no rash of school shootings back then.

Today, police officers in places such as New York City and Washington, D.C., are compelled to carry firearms in order to protect the citizenry as well as themselves. These cities all have total gun bans. See how effective they are? Let's be honest. If guns really cause so much violence, then why aren't there more mass murders taking place at gun shows?

I believe that gun control -- which is an infringement on the rights of all law abiding citizens -- is not the answer to crime in and around our communities. I believe we need stronger penalties.

Those who commit violent crimes with guns should be dealt with swiftly and effectively -- for example, sentences of life without the possibility of parole, or maybe even the death penalty. We simply cannot be tolerant of crime in our society. Criminals must be held accountable for their actions.

But we dare not take away the rights of the people under the guise controlling crime.

Don't be fooled. There are those out there who would do just that. And their names will be emblazoned on ballots across the nation come 2008.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Shepherd's Heart appears Thursday.