I bought a new gun this week. It is a modern gun with a full-capacity magazine. It was a private sale, with no paperwork and no registration. People do this every day across America. In most places, it is perfectly legal to do this, despite what you may see on TV and the web.
This scares many people for some reason.
Why do so many people have a paranoid busybody attitude about such things? Why do police and politicians exhibit a pathological desire to harm innocent people in the name of protecting them? How are their monopolized police with no obligation to protect or defend anyone (even if they can be called at all) even worthy of the title, "first responder?"
If you face an emergency, you are the first responder. Why should you be barred access to the means to respond? It is already obvious that we cannot rely on the police. Numerous court decisions have held that police have no obligation to protect anyone, even when violent people violate court-issued restraining orders. Gun-free school zones haven't stopped school shootings. When schools are attacked despite active police patrols, we have seen the officers retreat and wait for backup instead of stopping the shooter. Then they are exonerated. There are numerous stories of people calling the police only to be shot themselves when the cops arrive.
At the library, we have fire extinguishers in case we need to respond to fire. We have first aid kits and Automated External Defibrillators in case we need to respond to medical emergencies. While I don't support library-issued sidearms or a glass case of rifles marked "open in case of emergency," it seems absurd that many people are barred by law or corporate mandate from carrying a gun. An armed victim has more chance than one who is unarmed. It is true that statistics may support the assertion that people who own guns for self-defense face higher death rates, but which factor came first? Why does no one in the news media mention the plummeting violent crime rates as firearms have proliferated and states have relaxed restrictions on the concealed carry of weapons?
Whenever there is a great public outcry on any matter, begin by asking which position supports individual liberty most. Set aside the hand-wringing emotion-fuelled pleas for more laws and regulations. I can control my new gun just fine without your meddling. I have no intention to violate the life, liberty, or property of anyone else; and declaring my purchase or ownership "illegal" only harms me while protecting no one. If you fear me or my gun, either you are irrational, or you fear that I may defend myself against your trespass. In either case, grow up and take responsibility for yourself instead of trying to usurp control over me.
Image credit - Not my gun. A review of what I actually bought may be forthcoming eventually, though.
