The takover has begun

A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. –The Bill of Rights

 

            I consider my Second Amendment Right to bear arms as the most important single right under the Constitution.  Some people may believe this strange; however, it is this right that allows me to actively protect all other rights guaranteed by our forefathers.   Here are a few examples of what our founding fathers thought about the right to bear arms:

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government" - Thomas Jefferson

"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good"-- George Washington

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed."              - Alexander Hamilton

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin,

"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun." - Patrick Henry

It seems that they had a pretty clear opinion about firearm ownership.  As most of you know, I enjoy watching conservative commentary on television.  The O’Reilly Factor is one of my favorite programs, and for the most part I believe that Bill gets it right.  However, I disagree strongly with him on the gun control issue.  I believe that he means well, I just think that he is badly misinformed.  If you watch his program, you can easily see that he is not well versed in firearms.  He does not know the difference in semi-auto and automatic, and believes that AR style weapons are considered heavy weapon systems.  He, like so many pundits try to articulate a point without being educated on the nomenclature of the different weapon systems.  Bill has also made the comment that anyone that wants to own an assault rifle to protect themselves against the government is a loon.  He could not be more wrong, we have only to examine this quote to see the folly of his statement.

The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so. – Adolf Hitler

Also, a common analogy from the far left is that the founding fathers did not take into consideration the advances in weaponry when the Second Amendment was written, once again I must disagree.  When the Constitution was drafted muzzle loading rifles were the vanguard of technology in weaponry, however, they were not the only weapons used in that era.  The founding fathers could have very easily said that citizens should be allowed only bows, arrows, and swords to be possessed by the citizenry.  Instead they left the description of arms open for future generations, knowing that technology would advance through the ages.  Our founding fathers used the most advanced weapons of the time to obtain the freedoms we enjoy today; therefore it stands to reason that it was their intent we be allowed access to the best weapons to fit our needs in order to preserve our way of life.

            For the last several days, the all the media outlets have been inundated with propaganda concerning gun control.  As of today, President Obama has appointed Vice President Joe Biden as the head of a new Gun Violence Task Force.  VP Biden was one of the authors of the 1994 Gun Control Act, and one of the most anti-gun members of the Democratic Party.

Here’s the problem with Gun Control, it doesn’t work.  When you enact gun control on a population that already has over 300 million weapons within its populace, the only people who get restricted are the legitimate gun owners.  You do not stop criminals from obtaining a gun by placing restrictions on gun sales, because criminals do not obtain guns through legitimate sources, and with the amount of guns already in circulation, it would be a virtual impossibility to stem the black market trade of guns in the United States if all gun production was ceased immediately.  Additionally, the shipping routes used by drug smugglers into the United States are well developed and only marginally controlled by federal agencies.  The flow of cocaine, meth, and other illicit drugs pours into the country virtually unchecked.  By banning assault weapons in the United States, we would only create a new market for illegal gun trafficking from other countries. 

Let’s talk for a moment about Assault rifles and high capacity magazines. What makes an assault rifle an assault rifle?  Is it the caliber of the round? No, assault rifles come in a variety of rounds and these same rounds are used in single shot, bolt action, pump, and lever action rifles.  Is it the round capacity?  No, the magazines on most assault rifles are independent of the weapon system and vary in capacity, as do magazines for hunting and sport rifles.  So what makes an assault rifle an assault rifle?  The correct answer is the rate of fire.  An assault rifle fires either fully automatic or at a burst rate of several rounds with the single pull of a trigger.  And assault rifles can only be obtained in the United States with a specialized license that requires an in-depth background check by the ATF.  These licenses are difficult to obtain and very expensive.  What most people call an assault rifle is just a military Style weapon in a semi-automatic configuration.  The reason the rifles are popular is due to several issues, one of which is pop culture.  The ergonomical design of the weapons makes them attractive to sport shooters and their compactness and ease of use make them a viable option for home defense. There has been a stigma attached to these military style weapons over the last three decades due to their portrayal in violent movies, however, internally, they are no different than your grandpa’s repeating hunting rifle.

As to high capacity magazines for weapons, it only takes one bullet to kill.  High capacity magazines are a convenience for sport shooters, hunters and for home defense.  Anyone bent on participating in a mass killing can train themselves in very little time, to reload a 10 round magazine and maintain the same rate of fire as someone with a thirty round magazine if fired from the same semiautomatic weapon.  If you don’t believe me and wish to make a bet, come by my house, bring money, and I will instruct you on what is called a combat reloading sequence.

Today, Dianne Feinstein made the comment, “Weapons of war do not belong on our streets, in our classrooms, in our schools or in our movie theatres”.   Does anyone else notice that these are areas where citizens are typically banned from carrying guns (without a carry permit, and in some cases they are still banned)?  I submit to you, that education, enforcement of current laws with the harsh penalties, and public awareness are the key to stopping mass shootings in our country. A weapon in hand does no harm; it is the heart that commits acts of evil.

Congresswoman Feinstein, like so many liberals believe that the solution is more government control.  They believe that Americans are no longer smart enough to take care of ourselves, and that they need to take control of every facet of our lives.  They want to make the American people into no more than pets in their private terrarium, where we are allowed to come out and play, but only under their supervision.  They will control what toys we have and what we eat and drink; and we will be happy just surviving. 

I don’t think so…

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
                                                                                                       -Thomas Jefferson

Tytler’s cycle of Democracy:

Bondage
Spiritual Faith
Courage
Liberty
Abundance
Selfishness
Complacency
Apathy
Dependence
Bondage

Where are we in this cycle?