No, actually, people do NOT have that right.

I was talking “gun rights” with an acquaintance of mine yesterday. We’re not close friends, but we see each other on the bus occasionally.

He’s a gun-owner, a gun-shooter, and a bit of an enthusiast. However, he is not a big NRA fan, and he falls on the Liberal end of the political continuum regarding some of the primary NRA-type issues (conceal carry, registration of firearms, gun bans, loopholes at gun shows, etc).

At one point, he said, “I understand the concern of the gun-show folks who say ‘It’s my right to own a gun’, and ‘It’s my right to carry a gun’. Sure, you have those rights.”

“But,” he continued, “other people also have the right to NOT be around guns if they don’t want to.”

Now, I knew the direction he was headed. And, since I’m not really one for confrontation, (especially with casual acquaintances in public situations) I just let the comment go, unchallenged… and the conversation kind of petered out after that.

But, what I wanted to say in response was, “No, actually, people do NOT have that right.” There is no right anywhere, implied or inferred, that suggests Americans citizens have the right to “not be around guns”.

I have a right to bear arms. You do NOT have the right to tell me to get that gun away from you.

Granted, in your home, you get to set the rules. And, many private businesses have explicitly declared, “No firearms.” As property-owning citizens, that is your right.

Also, you have the right to assemble. And, if you choose to assemble with people who do NOT have guns, that’s fine. That's your right.

Also, you have the right to come and go as you please. If you find out that I am carrying a gun, and that makes you uncomfortable, you can choose to excuse yourself from my presence. That is your right.

And, I do NOT have the right to stalk you, or hound you, or hold you captive (thereby forcing you to be around my gun).

But, aside from that… no, you do NOT have a right to always live and move about within a gun-free bubble.

Sorry.