Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Second Amendment

Written in December 2010
Originally published 12-30-2010

OK, so you believe the Second Amendment had that point about militias because only well-regulated militias and not ordinary citizens should be allowed to have guns.
Well, you're wrong. The British Army was a militia, and the American Revolution was mainly fought by loosely-organized private citizens brandishing their hunting weapons, and not by militias. The United States Army was not established until mid-1775.
You still probably don't think that matters. So what are you going to do? Pass laws that take away people's guns?
How are you going to make a distinction between a gun that can be used for hunting, versus a gun that can be used for protecting yourself and your family against home invasions and carjackings, versus a gun that can be used to shoot the president?
Are you going to just take people's guns away after making it illegal to possess them, or are you going to compensate people for their guns at fair market value as you're required to by the Fifth Amendment?
Are you going to take away everybody's guns, or just those belonging to law-abiding citizens? How are you going to keep illegal weapons out of the hands of criminals?
Criminals are going to find ways to get guns. There's no getting around that. "When guns are criminalized, only criminals will have guns." So why not let private, law-abiding citizens possess whatever weapons are more powerful than the weapons they have reasonable suspicion that potential home invaders may use?
What does it matter how often people get killed for just sitting in a restaurant or walking down the street? It does happen! What are you going to do if you walk down the street unarmed dressed in a business suit with only some small change on you, and someone comes up and points a gun in your face? I'll tell you what you're going to do: you're going to get shot, you're going to die. I asked someone the same question, and they said, “What do you want me to say, die?” I said, “Well, I hope you have a better answer.” They didn’t.
Democrats want gun control. You know who else wanted gun control? Hitler. Stalin. Pol Pot. Saying everybody should get rid of their guns is like saying every country should get rid of its nuclear weapons: it's a great idea, but I wouldn't want myself or my country to disarm first.
Some of the potential victims of the Virginia Tech massacre came out of the tragedy wanting to strengthen gun control laws. Others came out of it wanting to loosen gun control laws. Virginia Tech didn't allow weapons on campus. The shooter knew nobody could fight back. Schools. Malls. Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts. Airplanes. People find ways to get into these places without being searched. In some of these places, it's easier than in others.
You can't just arm yourself with knowledge. It takes something with moving parts these days. Go to a gun shop. Wait out the crazy period. Get a permit. Join the NRA. Take lessons. Teach your family members about gun safety. Keep your guns hidden and locked up where nobody, not your dumb-ass kids, not the police, can find them. Find out what your state's gun control laws are like (Alaska, Arizona, and, for some odd reason, Vermont, are the most gun-libertarian). Lobby your state government and the federal government for change.



For more entries on military, national defense, and foreign policy, please visit:
http://www.aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2010/10/american-sovereignty-restoration-act-of.html

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