Unfortunately, last week ten people were killed in Boulder, CO at a grocery store. My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family members who lost someone that day, and to the ten individuals who lost their lives. I wish I could stop there. I wish I didn’t have to say anything else, but I do.
Not surprisingly we’ve seen a swift move to implement gun control. Plenty of snarky tweets were tweeted and articles written clamoring for the need to end gun violence (as if any other type of violence would be tolerable), and even the President stated he wants to implement an assault weapons ban. And so it begins.
I don’t know about you, but I take my liberty and rights seriously (hence this blog). It frustrates me to see a certain group of people go after such an essential right following events like these. There are some critical points that I don’t think certain people have thought out, understand, or maybe just don’t value. I’ll try my best to lay them out.
- At it’s most fundamental level the second amendment is about self-defense. Defense from a thief, murderer, and rapist, sure. But most importantly, defense from an oppressive tyrannical overreaching government. More specifically, OUR government. Thomas Jefferson said it best: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it”. “These ends” referring to how all men are created equal with certain unalienable rights and “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. How can a Nation of supposed free Men and Women ensure their rights remain secured by the Government if we allow the Government to remove our ability to do so. Citizens who understand the meaning behind this and are equipped to stand up if need be are the best deterrent we have to an oppressive Government. Yet people are still shouting in droves to take away the guns. If you don’t think our Government is capable of becoming corrupt and dangerous to it’s own citizens’ well being, you either haven’t been paying attention, you’re lying to yourself, or you don’t know history very well. Apparently taking away the guns is our path to end gun violence. But this notion is very flawed and short sighted, which brings me to my next point.
- Those who are currently out against gun violence claim to have the higher moral ground. On the surface level it seems to be true. They say they care about the lives lost and want it to stop. I don’t claim that they don’t care about lives, but I do claim that they may not understand violence as well as they think. I see similarities between weapons bans and the war on drugs. Making heroin illegal does not stop people from deciding to use it. The problem isn’t the drug itself, not initially. The problem is something else. It’s the circumstances of their life, their mental state, and how they have chosen to deal with it all. The same goes for mass shootings and other comparable acts of violence. The problem isn’t guns (simply the tool chosen for the job), the problem lies somewhere else before the shooter picks up their weapon of choice. Making guns more difficult to purchase or outright banning them will not stop those who want to kill people from killing people. Also, taking away guns will most likely not be a peaceful endeavor. Sure, some may partake in buy-back programs, especially if they need the money, but those who understand the second amendment and want to stand up for their rights won’t be subdued so easily. By announcing support for gun bans, gun control advocates are fully endorsing the State’s use of violence against their fellow citizen to take away the banned guns. That’s pretty outrageous. The very people who claim to stand against gun violence want to give the Government a monopoly on violence. It’s not okay for cops to barge into someone’s house and potentially murder them because of suspected drug crimes but it is okay to do the same to a peaceful citizen because they want to practice their unalienable right of self defense? The hypocrisy is deafening. So often, the group of people who will shout out against unlawful or unjust exercises of authority by the State will be the first ones to aim that unlawful and unjust use of authority at gun owners- the very citizens who take their freedom, safety, and well being into their own hands. Taking away or banning guns will not end gun violence. It will give free rein for the State to operate as unjust and unlawful as it can. And I would like to touch on the idea of “gun violence” in my last point.
- The phrase gun violence always intrigued me. It seems to be the only aspect of gun use cited by the Mainstream Media and Politicians. We rarely, if ever, hear about the times that guns actually save lives. How peculiar… Here is a good article discussing this further with more links to follow if you are interested. So why are we constantly bombarded with this gun violence rhetoric? I can’t say for sure. But I can say what I see, and what I see is people who don’t think critically and take the time to really understand the issue at hand are guided like cattle into one side of the story. I don’t think enough people think for themselves today. We don’t really get taught how to think in our public schools, mostly just what to think. If you are still reading this I urge you to reflect on this and not to take everything you hear on the news and from politicians as gospel. You may find that you’e been duped into giving away your rights.
In conclusion: If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I know this is a heated topic, but it’s an important one. I know I may come across a bit harsh but I assure you, my desire is not to shame any group of people or individuals (except maybe shameful politicians) but to open people’s eyes to the importance of what I discussed. I’m still human and I fully realize I may not have done a good job, but honest effort and critique make for a better product. I hope you were able to take something away from this and maybe see certain ideas in a new light.