'Loose Talk'
By Benjamin Benedict

Bare Arms
a fictional sequel to "Gun Law"

Some years before The War of Independence, George Washington, was chopping up a pile of wood (not cherry wood) when a small, British military contingent happened to be passing. In the middle of the marching infantry was a carriage containing Miss Elizabeth Fitz Herbert, the eighteen year old daughter of General Edward Fitz Herbert who rode proudly alongside.

“My good man,” the General addressed George, a tall, good looking youth at the time. “Is this the road to Boston we are on?”

“That much depends on the course you take from here, Sir.” George replied. Due to his wood chopping, he was in a sweaty, breathless state. His sleeves were rolled up and the front of his shirt, undone.

The Generals daughter was obviously quite taken by the sight she saw, and by the nature of the man’s reply. The General himself was less impressed. “May I remind you Sir, that there is a lady present, and you would do well to arrange your clothes accordingly.”

“My apologies Sir,” George said, buttoning up the front of his shirt. “I was not prepared for such a lady to be passing.”

“And your sleeves Sir, if you please. Your sleeves.”

“Surely Sir, given the nature of my task and your wish to reach Boston before too long, such formality serves neither of us well.”

“Let me be the judge of that, Sir. Your sleeves, if you please!”

George reluctantly rolled down his sleeves, and then was good enough to direct the General towards Boston by the quickest route.

Whether due to the beauty of the General’s daughter, or the pig-headedness of the General himself, the incident remained at the back of George Washington’s thoughts over the many long years which were to follow and make him a General too.

By the time The Bill of Rights came to be considered George’s stature was such that naturally he was asked for his opinion on what should be included in such a document. “The right to bare arms,” was his immediate reply.

Coming from a military man, as it did, his comment suffered somewhat in interpretation and has led to many more deaths than the War of Independence itself.

Rather than a nation proud to be sleeveless, there has arisen a multitude limping under the weight of the hardware that they perceive is their right to carry, and all because someone put an ‘e’ in the wrong place, having in more ways than one, had the wrong idea.

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