Editor’s Note: Kauai Police Chief Darryl Perry wrote this piece after reading a recent Civil Beat column on the Second Amendment.

While it is my job to defend the Constitution, it is also my responsibility to keep our community safe from violence that we see and experience on a daily basis.

Not only does the National Rifle Association’s philosophy and tortured logic illustrates what I am totally against, but they also take it a step further in convincing and manipulating people to think that those who serve and protect our communities are the real enemies.

Second Amendment supporters at the State Capitol on opening day of the 2016 session. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

When people approach me and ask me why I’m opposed to the NRA and so vehemently fixated on modifying the Second Amendment, I explain that it is because it was not the intent of the framers of the Constitution to have citizens walking around with guns and killing innocent people; that it was meant to establish and protect a new nation under extraordinary circumstances.

When pushed further, I would tell them: How do I explain to parents of the Sandy Hook slaughter that they should be proud knowing that their precious innocent children — sons and daughters — were sacrificial lambs placed on the altar of freedom — as the NRA would want us to believe through their devious propaganda.

I am not an unreasonable person, but after 40 years as a law enforcement officer, with the past eight years as the Chief of Police here on Kauai, I still cannot wrap my mind around, and rationalize the thinking of uncompromising pro-gun advocates.

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About the Author

  • Darryl Perry
    Darryl Perry recently retired as police chief for the County of Kauai, a position he held from 2007 to 2018. He has over 40 years of service in law enforcement and holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in Justice Administration and Management. He currently resides on the Big Island of Hawaii with his wife.