The right to bear arms is not a right to keep and bear all current and future armaments. The hunter, the marksman, the combat veteran, the citizen — each has a right to own a rifle, a pistol, a handgun or a shotgun.

None has a right to buy or use missiles, land mines, or autonomous weapons. Because the Second Amendment to the Constitution is not an all-or-nothing rule, the right to possess an AR-15-style rifle is wrong.

As a gun owner, I know my rights; as an American, with firmness in the right to bear arms, I see no legal or moral right to weaponize the home front with weapons of war.

I do, however, see an urgent and existential need to safeguard my fellow citizens — to save us from people who are a danger to us and themselves.

What I see compels me to say or do something, because I do not want to see the same tragedy — the same preventable tragedy — repeat itself.

What we need to see is not proof of the minimum the law requires, but everything the law should reveal: that a first-time gun buyer is of sound mind and body; that this person knows how to check, clean and store the firearm he intends to buy; that he bears the burden of proof; that his right to bear arms is contingent on his responsibilities as a law-abiding citizen.

If these requirements seem excessive, consider how much harder it is to obtain a driver’s license.

Competency is not negotiable and testing is not optional, when it comes to driving a car. Applicants must pass a road test and/or a written test, demonstrating knowledge of — and showing proof of, on a closed course — the rules of the road.

In Hawaii, applicants who are 16- to 17-years-old must present a:

>> Learner’s permit held for a period of at least 180 days.

>> Driver Education Student Completion Certificate.

>> Behind-the-Wheel Student Completion Certificate.

Note: For minor applicants between the ages of 15-1/2 years through 17, a certified copy of the minor’s birth certificate is required to establish proof of age and to determine who may sign the parental consent.

In short, it is harder to earn a driver’s license than it is to hire someone to drive you to a gun shop or a gun show.

It is easier to wait — even in Hawaii, which has the longest waiting period in the U.S., at 14 days — to buy a gun, than it is to buy and drive a car.

Nowhere is it legal, however, to drive a Formula One car on a state or federal highway.

Nowhere is it legal for anyone, regardless of age or driving history, to operate an armored vehicle.

The point is, limits exist for a reason. These limits are neither extreme nor unusual. How else to explain why there are no protesters or political action committees demanding the right to drive racing cars on open roads?

We accept these limits because the limits are fair, and the laws do little to weaken our freedom.

Stopping the sale of military- grade weapons does not infringe the right of the people to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

Stopping the sale is how we reclaim our rights, giving the nation a new birth of freedom.

Stopping the sale is how we shall nobly save the last best hope of Earth.

We have rights to preserve, protect and defend.

We have a duty to save lives.

Elizabeth Rice Grossman, of Kailua, is a local philanthropist and former Wall Street financial manager.