"Yes, we fully understand what "shall not be infringed" really means. It means freedom. Freedom from tyranny."
Every time I publish an article about guns, I get push back from some of my left of center (or just plain Leftist) friends. Many have an antipathy for guns. The hate the gun rights we have. Actually, many hate the Second Amendment itself. I have heard such things in the past as, "Why do we need that archaic amendment anyhow? We have police to protect us. Plus, we don't need to hunt anymore. We have Cub Foods to go to."
The other day we were out and about, and I saw a bumper sticker I had never seen before - "I carry my Glock only because a cop is too heavy to carry." It gave me pause to think. Why do so many patriots today love the fact we can carry? For starters, just for the same reason that bumper sticker states. Sometimes, when serious trouble comes, there is not time to get on your cell phone and call 911. Sometimes, when you life is in danger, having a firearm is the difference between being a survivor and a statistic.
But the real reason patriots love and cherish our natural and God given right to bear arms, has nothing to do with hunting or target practice. Those items were never the intent of the Framers. And that is where the great divide lies between progressives and patriots. Whereas, patriots believe in a limited government, and any power the government has have been granted to it by the citizens, progressives are willing to cede ALL rights to a massive and unchecked government. The Framers, fearing this might happen, penned the Second Amendment. It is our check and balance against a government run amok.
One of my favorite things I hear from the progressives goes something like this: "If only we could ALL give up our guns, we would live in a much safer world." As Mayor Joe of Garage Logic would say, "Only if we had a giant magnet which could take all the guns away, especially those belonging to crooks." Why would Joe say that? Because OUTLAWS, who by their evil nature, live outside the law, will NEVER give up their guns.
Many progressives believe in a Nirvana more than a free America. They reject the saying that "Freedom is not free". They have no time for our military. Just the other day, a progressive school teacher in California said something like (I paraphrase) "only dolts go in the military".
Progressives hate guns - it does not matter if they are in the hands of private citizens, the police, or our military. Obama type progressives would rather see military as a small self defense force, unarmed Bobbies for cops, and of course, an unarmed population. Our Framers however, did not see it that way.
"Shall not be infringed". Gotta love those four words. It is like the Framers wanted to say, "don't you DARE screw with this right!". But, they came up with more eloquent words instead. Yes, I am a legal gun owner. I have more than one gun. I vigorously support the police who protect us. And I am a retired vet. I cannot say enough GOOD things about the brave men and women to serve to protect us.
Maybe we do need to let California go. They can become their own country. Moonbeam can be their emperor. Let California be the land of dope smoking, sanctuary for illegals, and a gun free zone - that is, except for criminals. Then all the progressives in the other states can move to the nation of California, and establish their version of Nirvana.
The rest of us however, will keep living in this Great Experiment called America. This great nation which was given to us by our Founders. It continues to be the land of the free, and home of the brave. Yes, we fully understand what "shall not be infringed" really means. It means freedom. Freedom from tyranny.
The philosophical tradition of conservatism is inextricably linked to the Christian doctrine of original sin, or a secular version of the same idea — namely the proposition that all human beings are deeply broken at a fundamental level.
ReplyDeleteWhen progressives point out that lots of people do lots of very stupid and dangerous things with their guns, there is always a conservative chorus that loudly asserts that somehow this information doesn't count, since if you use a gun responsibly you won't hurt yourself or anyone else with it.
While this is logically true, it misses the central conservative insight, which is that people aren't responsible.
Why not legalize all drugs and all gambling, since, if those things are used responsibly, nobody will ever hurt themselves? Come to think of it, if we could all be trusted to exercise moral responsibility at all times, the best economic regime would be communism, since we wouldn't need the carrot of profit or the stick of market competition to produce whatever goods and services society needs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shootings_in_the_United_States
ReplyDeleteThe 2nd Amendment is America's suicide note.
DeleteSen. Chris Murphy said Wednesday that Congress bears responsibility for the "epidemic of mass slaughter" in the US, addressing the Senate floor while news of a school shooting unfolded in Florida.
ReplyDelete"This epidemic of mass slaughter, this scourge of school shooting after school shooting," Murphy said, "it only happens here not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else."
If only the gun control supporters would put all this effort into keeping guns out of the hands of criminals versus trying to strip away the rights of American citizens, we might see some improvement in gun violence. What they can't seem to wrap their heads around is that law-abiding gun owners are NOT the ones committing the everyday crimes (check out Detroit and Chicago). Law-abiding gun owners are not the ones shooting up schools. But it appears that is above and beyond the comprehension level of the lefties/liberals.
ReplyDeleteViolence runs unchecked. Mental illness runs unchecked. We continue to be told to accept and praise that which is bad, immoral or evil and suppress that which is good. If something doesn't fit in the left agenda, it is shut down and censored. As a result, look at the mess our country is in. We are slipping into anarchy, chaos and increased violence. But according to lefties, that's not so bad. After all, it's the politically correct thing to do.
As 45 and his minions cut and gut every social and healthcare program they can get their greedy hands on, and buy more guns for the military (the surplus ends up in civilian hands), I imagine the problem will only get worse.
ReplyDeletePEOPLE with GUNS KILL.
Fists don't, knives rarely, club rarely.
POLICE don't stop crime, only investigate after.
The 19 school shooters were law-abiding until the incident.
The LV shooter was a stand-up citizen UNTIL the incident.
Access to firearms (without the kind of "extreme vetting" 45 wants for a farm worker to make a buck) is unchecked in Amerika and you "law-abiding" folks aren't doing any service by demanding un-fettered access to assault weapons and maxi magazines. If you don't get on board, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR PRECIOUS FIREARMS. As Charleton Heston warned, We will pull them from your dying fingers.
Until recent NRA propaganda
and Antonin Scalia wrote the 5-4 majority opinion in District of Columbia vs. Heller in 2008- The 2nd Amendment did not grant private citizens the right to gun ownership in the home for 180 years. Ten years later, it's parroted as a 1776 birthright.