Of Tobacco and Lead

By Keith Hollar – Guest Contributor

Photo courtesy of BerettaUSA.com

You might not think that cigars and firearms have things in common, but in reality they do. First off, they are both passions of mine; I’ve been shooting for over 20 years and have been enjoying cigars for about 8.  Secondly, they are both under attack from people in government and from the media, and if we don’t stand up for them, we might lose the right to enjoy them, and probably some others as well.

There seems to be an impression, nowadays, that people who enjoy shooting or premium cigars are bad, crazy or backwards.  As most of you probably agree that is not true.  We are just law-abiding citizens enjoying something guaranteed by our great Constitution.

Let me explain a few things about premium cigars that might not be well-known.  First off, they aren’t sold in the likes of 7-Eleven® with names such as White Owl or Black and Mild.  They are sold in tobacconist shops and are made of only tobacco, with no additives (save for some flavorings in a few cigars).  They also can’t be used to roll and blunt.  If you try to do that with a premium cigar you’ll end up with a pile of mangled leaves.  Also, most cigar smokers aren’t addicted to them; they smoke them for the enjoyment.  Recently, however, between the FDA trying to take over regulation of the premium tobacco industry and municipalities enacting stricter rules on where and when people can smoke, it has been getting more difficult to find places to enjoy a legal product. Now: I don’t want to force my cigars on someone else, but I think that the business owner should be allowed to choose how they want to run their business.

With regards to firearms there have been two major events that had been used to call for more restrictions on private firearm ownership.  These are the “Fast and Furious” debacle across the border and the Zimmerman shooting in Florida.  The progressives and the media have used both of these events as examples of why we need more and more gun control.  However, both of these incidents have laws concerning them.  If these laws were enforced, or if someone was found in violation of these laws, there might not have been loss of life and the guilty will be punished.

What am I trying to say, you ask?  OK. here it is: if we don’t stand up for our rights now, once they are gone, there won’t be anything stopping those in charge from revoking other rights next. 

What can you do?  Join organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) or Cigar Rights of America (CRA).  Write to your local, State, and Federal elected officials.  Sign petitions against further governmental intrusion of our lives.  By making our voices heard, we will let the people in power know that we won’t let them take away rights that are Constitutionally guaranteed without a fight.

Agree?  Disagree?  Other thoughts?  Make sure you leave them in the comments below.

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This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those of Beretta.