So the media is coming strongly on the side of the anti-gun nuts in this assault weapons ban expiry issue. Even Jon Stewart, who I usually agree with was strangely shortsighted — and forgetful — in his mocking of assault weapons and their owners. Kerry is of course against the guns, and remember that it was Bush Sr. that created the ban in the first place. Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act, and both Giuliani and Pataki have run the most anti-gun administrations in history.
The second amendment, the right to form a militia and of the people to keep and bear Arms, was enacted by the Founding Fathers for a very clear reason;
"A free people ought to be armed."
- George Washington"An unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man... Let your gun be your constant companion of your walks."
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson"To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Madison"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms."
- James Madison
Thomas Jefferson also said that “all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right” — and, most importantly their “duty to be at all times armed.” Jefferson didn't think people needed guns for hunting or self defense. They were all very clear and singular — an armed populace is the final check-and-balance protecting the liberty of the people of the United States against a government running amok. They'd seen it happen in Europe, and they wanted to make sure it could never happen in America.
To defend America against foreign and domestic threats, an assault weapon is an ideal and highly effective tool for the individual doing so — as Stephen Colbert pointed out on the Daily Show, it's been very successful for the Iraqi insurgents! Now, maybe you're saying it could never happen in modern times, or to a culture as sophisticated as America. Don't bet on it. The German government, democratically elected by a well educated and culturally sophisticated populace killed ten million people in death camps, and the people never resisted it once. It's also happened across several Eastern European nations in recent time as well. It is not uncommon. It will happen again, and it could easily happen in America.
You probably won't get in a car accident either, but hey, why buy car insurance?
Maybe you're saying the odds of all this is slim, and in any case, most people support the ban, so democracy says the ban should stay. Wrong. Most people don't think piercing should be legal either. In the past, most people thought blacks shouldn't vote. Most people think BME should be banned. The point of the Constitution and Bills of Rights all over the world is to protect the minority from the majority — to make sure the nation can protect against a worst case scenario. When we start violating these radical freedoms because “most people don't mind”, we set the stage not just for losing our rights, but losing our freedom completely or even our lives.
Do you want to die in a death camp, or do you want to die free?
Yeah, I'm sure you're thinking you're real clever, getting ready to type “well i don't want to die at all” into the Whatever forum. Well, put your head back into the sand. It's not always your decision what day you're going to die on. It is however always your decision whether you die with your liberty intact.
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