On the Right to Bear Arms & Gun Control

 

 

 

Early American settlers felt it was important to have the right to bear arms for several reasons including deterring tyrannical government and facilitating a natural right to self defense. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of the people to bear arms and it was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. In 2008 and in 2010 the Supreme Court, in landmark decisions, declared that this right is unconnected to service in a militia. There were, and are those today, who attempt to claim that the only purpose of the 2nd Amendment, and the right to bear arms, was for militia purposes. They are wrong.

The Founding Fathers were also very strong in their statements concerning the right to bear arms. George Washington said: "A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." Thomas Jefferson stated :"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." He went on further to say: "The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes"....and..."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

Today people in the United States are buying guns in record numbers. Why do you think that is the case? Yes, for self protection, but increasingly people today DO have a fear of the tyranny of our own government. They see our freedoms threatened and increasing over control by our federal government into every aspect of our lives. They see the government invading our privacy and actually spying on our own people in many forms, in violation to the Constitution. They see an irresponsible Congress and government that are pushing us further and further into debt. They see our sovereignty being threatened as a nation, being given up to the UN and other international organizations. They see our Constitution being not only circumvented, by actually violated. People fear the tyranny of our own government. They know that one of the first things that is done in a dictatorship is take the guns our of the hands of the people, so they can be more easily controlled. All these reasons are why people are buying guns in record numbers...let's be honest about it.

We have had terrible tragedies in the United Sates in recent times, most recently in Newtown, Connecticut. Gun control advocates, and many in our government, shamelessly seize on this as an opportunity, not even allowing the grief of the tragedy to begin to subside. They use it as an opportunity. Yet we all know that criminals, those who have a propensity toward violence, will always have access to weapons through various underground, or black market, sources. Our own government sold weapons to known Mexican criminals! Our own government routinely provides for the distribution of weapons to those forces who are seemingly friendly to our cause. (And in many cases turn out not to be.)

With the "gun control" that is now being sought, criminals and those who have a tendency toward violence will find guns and weapons. Law abiding citizens who want self protection and actually do fear the tyranny of government will be the ones who will be hurt. Thomas Jefferson said: "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."

There is a reason for the 2nd Amendment and it had been very well thought through at the time in the forming of our great country by some pretty amazing people.