Due to recent
events, I have been asked as a right of center advocate, if my view on guns has
changed. My response was, it has, but
not how you think. In my case it
solidified my advocacy of our second amendment and has caused me to consider
nationwide constitutional carry and concealed carry as an option. But in conversation, people just don’t get
why. You see, I don’t need guns for
hunting or sport shooting, those are fun uses for guns, to ensure education and
proficiency, but my right to bear arms has other meanings for me.
In our
Declaration of Independence, it is written,
That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to
abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate
that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient
causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more
disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to
reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Henceforth,
we abolished the British colonial government and rule of the monarchy of
Britain to establish our own Federal Republic with a Constitution that affords
us a number of rights as citizens. That
Declaration, along with the Preamble of our Constitution afford us “certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. Because of that, the Federal Republic is
tasked to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of
Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” As citizens, it is also our civic duty
to vote, because the government derives their just powers from the people who
allow them to serve.
Those two
documents were meant to protect this republic from despotism, which is a form
of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. The entity can take different forms such as
an individual, the despot or dictator, or an entity which puts the power into
the hands of small or elite group. The
intent of the two documents working together allow for a check and balance
between the state and the constituency, similar to the Checks and Balances
existing between the branches of government as established in the Constitution. Whereas it is the right of the people to
alter or abolish a government, should it no longer fit within the due bounds of
those documents, but that right is not to be exercised lightly.
To do that,
the constituency has the right to hold office and to vote. To elect representatives to work on behalf of
that constituency in order to provide all that is established in the documents
which created our nation. If you don’t
like something, you in essence vote against it, vote out the representative out
who supported it or run for office to actively work to change it yourself.
Why? Because that is in the rules, so to
speak. “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should
not be changed for light and transient causes”, so to deal with the normal
every day matters of our nation, we have that check, our elections. It is the normal way in which we do business
with a well-established government which holds up its end of the bargain as
written in those documents.
But what is
the balance? We know that the
Constitution establishes justice and provides for the common defense. This alludes to the creation of laws, law
enforcement and armed forces, all giving that government power and authority. We also know that with great power comes great
responsibility, but that power also has the ability to corrupt. We see this all too often in the world today. 1930s Germany, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela
are some examples of how well established governments became corrupted by
power. In some cases, the line blurred
or disappeared between establishing Justice and defense. Those two powers assimilated to become one
and the same. But, “there’s a reason you
separate the military and the police.
One fights the enemies of the State and the other serves and protects
the people. When the military becomes
both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.” The same can be true in modern society when
the police become militarized and they look at everyday “civilians” with
suspect and fear. The evolution could
lead to the usurpation of power from the people and placed into the hands of a
despotism. The result is a government,
no longer adhering to the tenets of our sacred documents, no longer keeping its
end of the bargain and no longer able to be altered by normal means.
So what is
that balance? Our founding fathers saw
what existed in the British Empire of the time and wanted to ensure that it
would not happen in the New World. To
ensure that balance, they established the Second Amendment which allows for “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”.
A
Militia? Doesn’t that just mean
Army? No.
According to
Oxford, a militia can be “A
military force that is raised from the civil population to supplement a regular
army in an emergency.” But it can also mean, “A military force that engages in
rebel or terrorist activities in opposition to a regular army.” Finally, it can
also mean, “all able-bodied civilians eligible by law for military service”.
We need to consider that the Constitution was written in 1789
and the amendment in 1791, We also know that the Regular Continental Army was
small and it needed regiments of men who were armed civilians to gather for
some light training and to supplement the continental army against our enemy of
the time. In this case, the meaning of
militia met all three definitions. It
was all abled bodied Colonial civilian men who were raised from the population
to supplement the Continental Army by engaging in rebellious activities in
opposition to the Regular Army of the existing well established government of
the British Empire.
Why? to abolish that despotic government, and to institute the
new Colonial American Government. Thus
the balance was written in to the Constitution of the United States, to protect
the constituency of the colonies, and their posterity, should the established government
ever become corrupted and no longer hold up its end of the agreement. The right of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed was created so that the posterity of the colonists would
never have to worry about despotism and should it happen, they were given the
means to abolish it. But that is also
not the only reason.
Our nation is under attack and the police are like the
Continental Army, overwhelmed, understaffed and in many cases, have their hands
tied by over-regulation. We are faced
with radical Islamic terrorism, gang violence (domestic terrorism) and radical
political extremism in our lives. All
with the propensity for violence, as noted in recent events. As part of a well regulated militia (able bodied
American veteran able to serve and supplement) I can assist in providing for
the defense of my property and family against those that wish to do harm. As noted by Fox News on the 6th of
June, armed home owners were able to subdue, alive, two notorious and dangerous
escaped prisoners in Tennessee, the right to bear arms can have a positive
impact if that right is wielded responsibly.
Of Course there are those who will not wield that power
responsibly, but taking that right away will not stop the “bad guys” from doing
harm as has also been noted in recent events.
The use of Cars, explosives, trucks and knives as weapons of terror or
radical extremism has been noted in the news over the past year. We also know that illegal and clandestinely
obtained firearms are always available to those who will not abide by that
“well regulated” aspect of the amendment.
These exceptions will always have to be dealt with, not matter how much
we restrict any right by regulation.
There are those who believe regulations just to not apply to them.
We need to be responsible and we do need to have some forms
of regulation to abide by the “well regulated” stipulation on our right, but I
also believe that our right must not be limited or removed so that it is not
afforded in accordance with the intent of the amendment, which means, it shall
not be infringed. In closing, my belief
has not changed, my resolve has been made stronger in my belief that the second
amendment is needed now more than ever before.
I also hope that we can preserve that right, as did our forefathers, so
that our posterity can enjoy those same rights and freedoms that our checks and
balances provide to us as a Federal Republic with a Constitution written by the
people and for the people.
