For the past several outbursts of mania surrounding firearms ownership in American, I have somewhat steered clear of the billions of Facebook soapbox swamps mired in comments from people who pause from watching, “Dancing with the Stars” to chime in on Constitutional law, history and the intent of certain portions of the United States Bill of Rights. It’s not out of apathy (far from it) or ignorance (I have a firm knowledge base on law and history) that I avoid these debates. I have learned after nearly a lifetime of engaging in similar debates that one side rarely sways the other. There is a unbridgeable chasm, a rift between the two sides.
Rather than sit here and again attempt to sway opinion, or put forward quote after quote from the Founders of this nation and framers of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, I would rather pose a series of questions to the most vehement of the gun control crowd.
We need some background first – there are approximately 9,000,000 (nine million) AR-15 variant rifles in civilian hands in the United States. There may be near that number in AK variants among other similar rifle configurations. For the sake of discussion we will say 20,000,000 (twenty Milllion semi-auto rifles). This is not including shotguns, pistols, bolt action/precision rifles. There is an estimated 300,000,000 (Three hundred million) firearms in the United States. Now, let’s take our reactionary and emotional approach and attempt to remove these rifles from civilian hands due to the 250 people that are killed every year from rifle injuries (now not all those rifles are semi-auto, many are bolt action hunting accidents).
Pretend for a moment a bill to seize (as is proposed by some) these styles of firearms, were drafted by Congress, debated, voted on and passed with a majority and went on to the Sensate where it was debated, voted on and passed. The bill may then face the Judicial branch where a Supreme Court challenge would occur or where the bill would require further debate and examination. Now let’s pretend the Supreme Court agrees and the President as well – the bill is then law. The AR-15, AK, FAL, Daewoo and every rifle like them is hereby illegal, like cocaine, heroine, or Marijuana! Essentially we now have the meat of the issue. What next?
Do you stand in favor of state sponsored violence against those who, yesterday were law abiding citizens, with no criminal record whatsoever, however today are in possession of a federally illegal firearm? How do we logistically round up 20,000,000 of these rifles? At sometimes $2,000 in value how do you pay for them? What course of action would you propose be taken against let’s say the 1,000,000 (one million) gun owners who adamantly refuse to turn over their AR-15? Do you propose an overwhelming violent force of action against them, using the full scope of the US defense apparatus? Do you propose we KILL these citizens if we must? What is the end game?
Are you willing to see violence, and the deaths of tens of thousands, in order to prevent the annual death of 250 people from rifle injuries? Do you wish to dispatch men with guns to enforce your new utopian law of the land?
The questions I propose, deserve logical answers, not emotional pleas.
I’m writing this to all reactionary statists who make emotional pleas and have emotional reactions towards certain inalienable rights that are based on the fundamental rights of self defense. I do not engage in the typical Facebook political debates, because I know there exists an unbridgeable chasm between the leftist and statist view on firearms ownership and my view. There will never be an understanding. Theirs is founded in utopian views of what could or should be, not founded in reality.
Firearms exist, therefore it is incumbent upon all able bodied persons to know their use, function and application to be able to employ them against those who would do us harm. I am done with the debate. There is no debate on the 2nd Amendment. It was drafted as the 2nd, immediately after the 1st for a reason. Any attempt to thwart it, is an act of treason. And to address the myriad comments made by the ill informed and un educated (they were talking about muskets!), the founders did understand that technology would improve, as they were highly educated men who witness major advancements in their own time.
The RIFLE as it existed at the drafting of the Bill of Rights was the most advanced, accurate and lethal personal defense weapon ever seen on the earth at that time. It was MORE ADVANCED than the arms held by the entire British Military (Brown Bess Musket). The freedom to own and produce arms in the colonies, birthed the Pennsylvania rifled bore which with precision lethality allowed the colonists to put .36-.54 caliber lead balls into the cranial vault of the red coats. You want to apply the “technology of the times” to the 2nd Amendment, then let’s do the same to the first. Ban free speech on the internet, TV, Radio, and every other means not able to be produced only on a Gutenberg press or a soap box. Rifles, their ownership, their production, gave us this nation. Anyone who would remove them is no countryman of mine. That is all I am saying.
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” -Thomas Jefferson
“The Constitution of most of our states, and the United States, assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves: that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press.” Thomas Jefferson
“I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” -George Mason
“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived the use of them.” -Thomas Paine
We should not forget that the spark which ignited the American Revolution was caused by the British attempt to confiscate the firearms of the colonists. -Patrick Henry