Steve beat me to it in using the Second Amendment support from Ice-T (“The right to bear arms is because that’s the last form of defense against tyranny.”); it was going to be my lead in for this post I found over at Hot-Air where the money line, THE important line, is the title to this post:
That was the moment when it hit me. The combination of that premise taken by anti-gun groups with the previous historical perspective on our country reminded me of what may be the most important piece of the puzzle. When having this conversation, it’s far too easy to say, “Oh! Of course we don’t want to kill people! So let’s discuss your proposition.”
It’s time to come out with it and speak the plain truth which was born and bred into the very soul of the United States from day one:
There may yet come a day when you will have no choice.
Go read the first part of that post for the premise – which is one that most of us fall into, even those of us that see things going askew. From the NH Constitution (emphasis mine):
Article 1. [Equality of Men; Origin and Object of Government.] All men are born equally free and independent; therefore, all government of right originates from the people, is founded in consent, and instituted for the general good.
[Art.] 2. [Natural Rights.] All men have certain natural, essential, and inherent rights – among which are, the enjoying and defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing, and protecting, property; and, in a word, of seeking and obtaining happiness. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state on account of race, creed, color, sex or national origin.
[Art.] 2-a. [The Bearing of Arms.] All persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, their property and the state.
[Art.] 10. [Right of Revolution.] Government being instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security, of the whole community, and not for the private interest or emolument of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, whenever the ends of government are perverted, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought to reform the old, or establish a new government. The doctrine of nonresistance against arbitrary power, and oppression, is absurd, slavish, and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.
In some ways, the NH Constitution makes it far clearer than the US Constitution what the role of people, armaments, and Liberty are. In all cases, we are the responsible party.
We are governed only via our consent. Our Government was founded, not just on the genius of the political philosophy of the Founders, but by the point of a gun. If it were not the arms owned by individual Patriots, we would not enjoy our Freedom today as they threw off the shackles of an oppressive Government.
But Skip, some might say, that was SUCH a primitive time!
Not to them it wasn’t. Just as we think we are so sophisticated now, our descendents may feel the same way about us. Remember, times may change but human nature does not. There will always be those that wish to take that freedom away; as Ronald Reagan posited, our Freedom is only 1 generation deep; it happened back then and it can happen again, reGARDLESS of our complacent and non-interested populace thinking to the contrary. We can say what we want, but when the citizens no longer take active oversight roles in their government, there will be those that will take advantage of that slackership and being then able to implement a new governance model with little attention; there can be such a thing as too MUCH trust.
As I believe they are today – the Progressives have no love for our Constitution.
Liberals wish that the discussion on guns only be about sporting and hunting – hey, we are so advanced that we have police to take care of us now to protect us. They want the meme to be not on the topic of a tyrannical government (or on that about to become one) for which the Founders feared but “merely” (without trying to denigrate the real importance) to that of safety against any risk whatsoever. Yet, even in their efforts they do not realize, as in the case of “soft bigotry” of their low expectations on minorities and affirmative action, that this very attempt to “protect us against” ourselves is in fact, the soft form of tyranny of which de Tocqueville warned against. Thus, the Progressive tendency to avoid hard discussions and study, especially in our school systems, of our Constitutions and the philosophies supporting them.
See Article 2 and 2-a: we have that Right to Defend ourselves (in fact, I believe it to be an obligation to protect me and mine). Liberals and gun control advocates want us to believe that “we don’t need that“; they declare that since Government has the force, their implication is that only it has the right to protect (even as there are court rulings to the opposite).
Our Founders knew that the last resort of Freedom against tyranny is us. Admiral Yamamoto warned his Japanese superiors against attacking the United State before the start of World War II with the words “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass” (misattributed to him, according to Wikipedia).
An unarmed citizenry is helpless before an armed Government. I will put out the idea that as Government becomes larger and larger, it by necessity becomes tyrannical by the cut against Freedom of a 1000 pieces of legislation. As it inserts itself into more and more of Society’s affairs (as the two, Government and Society, were seen by the Founders are separate and distinct entities). As it begins to move more and more to the Administrative State where unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats decide for themselves what our life decisions will be (even good motives and intentions aside), the tendrils of Tyranny start to spin their cocoon.
Our right to bear arms is not a privilege, but a main purpose and means to keep such from happening. It happened once here in America. It has happened many times around the world. It can happen again.
“The right to bear arms is because that’s the last form of defense against tyranny.”
“There may yet come a day when you will have no choice.”
Ever vigilant. Ever prepared. Ever locked and loaded, for it will never be known when the time comes upon us.
