Our friends on Federal Street, the scholars at Merriam-Webster, define “essential”  when used as a noun as “something basic.” The second definition is “something necessary, indispensable, or unavoidable.”

The word, whether used as an adjective or as a noun, appears in news reports almost every day. Gov. Charlie Baker speaks of essential businesses and workers as a way to define who should stay home and who has a job to perform in public.

The commonwealth considers the staff of this newspaper as essential, as also health professionals, first responders, auto technicians, construction workers, truck drivers and certain retail employees, among others.

The commonwealth has closed businesses until May 4, which are deemed unessential. You know that list as well.

I do have to note that Baker has drawn a fine line between certain consumer goods. Liquor, beer and wine are essential. Recreational cannabis is not.

Medical cannabis is still being sold and according to the press release from the Cannabis Control Commission there has been a “158 percent increase in patient applications and more than 30 telehealth certification waivers the Medical Use of Marijuana Program has received since the Governor’s essential services order was first issued on March 23.”

Naturally, an increase would be seen.

A drive by Theory Wellness in Chicopee last week showed a full parking lot and plenty of customers who are buying medical cannabis.

So what is the difference between buying recreational cannabis and getting a bottle of Scotch or a six-pack? Alcohol and cannabis are both used by people to alter a mood and relax, right? Why is one acceptable and one isn’t? They are both legal substances for adults.

We’ll see if Baker decides to reverse his position here. I doubt it though.

I’m sure this will be a boom time for grey-market cannabis sales. I am willing to bet prices have gone through the roof. The Commonwealth is leaving that tax money on the table, which we really can’t afford.  

Another kind of retail that was deemed non-essential was gun shops. When asked about shops defying his order, Baker told reporters recently, “They shouldn’t have been open last week. The only folks on the firearm side that have been essential in Massachusetts since we issued the initial order are manufacturers.”

But some gun shops have defied the order saying that they are essential. There have been media reports of an uptick in sales of guns from shops that refuse to close.

Although locally no increase in home invasion has been noted, apparently there are people who believe a side effect of this pandemic would require more weapons than they already have.

So far, the biggest concerns are people who don’t use common sense and venture out when they are sick or refuse to wear some sort of mask around others. There is nothing funny about getting sick or spreading the illness.

As I’ve often stated, I have no problem with people who buy and use guns legally. I have no problem with gun retailers who operate according to state and federal laws. I have family members who enjoy shooting and owning guns. It’s their thing, not mine. It has been determined many times that is a Constitutional right.

However, there is nothing in the Second Amendment that prohibits a state from regulating sales, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

Kency Gilet, the chair of the Springfield Republican City Committee, posted on his Facebook page, “These gun shop owners are real patriots. God bless them. The Second Amendment is essential.”

No one has suggested changing the Second Amendment. The governor simply believes buying a gun right now is not an essential consumer transaction. So, the definition of a patriot is someone during a pandemic keeping his or her business open when asked to temporarily shut it down for public health reasons?

Again, I consult the folks at Merriam-Webster who define the word “patriot” as “one who loves and supports his or her country.”

I’m not quite sure how selling guns at this time is supporting the commonwealth or the nation.

Want to be a patriot? In my opinion, stay inside, wash your hands, practice social distancing and wear a mask when you do go out. Oh, and don’t hoard.