Reasonable people know this. It’s not hard to understand. But unfortunately, the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution has been convoluted by those who want simply to disarm the populous.
Understanding the Reasons for 2A
The tyranny seizing more and more control is held in check somewhat by the right we have to protect ourselves with firearms. So they engage in psychological and emotional warfare to challenge the very meaning of this crucial amendment. They falsely claim it was written with hunting in mind, though the wording clearly indicates otherwise. They make flawed arguments like, “It’s outdated – the writers never envisioned weapons like we have today.” Ridiculous.
Our founding fathers were visionaries. These guys weren’t stupid. They weren’t ignorant about advancements being made in weaponry. And they hadn’t just returned from a hunting trip when they wrote up this document. They had just liberated themselves from the tyranny of King George of England. They were carefully considering how to birth a nation with enduring freedoms. The tyranny they had just escaped was fresh on their minds when they wrote that 2nd Amendment, and they knew individual liberty was at stake.
Blaming Guns Rather Than People
Still, the emotionally charged arguments continue to equate guns with evil whenever some armed killer engages in mass homicide. Or when some young person gets hold of an unsecured firearm and accidentally shoots someone. These are tragic, but they’re also preventable. There is a large degree of responsibility every gun-owner has to assume, and properly storing guns and ammo can stop the accidents in their tracks. As for the deranged gunman, he can be – and often IS – stopped by a good guy with a gun. And an even deeper analysis shows there are often warning signs that go ignored, and we have to be vigilant about preventing tragedy before it happens.
Back to the amendment in question… Despite what we often hear, this basic but important freedom is more about personal protection than anything else. The 2nd Amendment recognizes our right to safeguard and protect ourselves, our belongings, our homes and loved ones – specifically with firearms because of their effectiveness. An armed citizen is less likely to be a victim of crime. In fact, armed citizens very often end up foiling the intent of would-be criminals. The effectiveness of firearms to provide defense, as well as stop or thwart crime, is precisely why we arm our police officers. But cops can’t be everywhere at once, so responsibly armed citizens are an absolute necessity.
Ignorance Speaks Loudest
All too often, people trying to argue for gun bans know very little about firearms themselves. They’ll make insane claims about certain weapons being “too powerful” for civilians to own. Just spouting off words, they say things like, “Nobody needs a rifle that fires 30 rounds per second!” Yeah, I’ve heard that one. But guess what? No one owns such a weapon. The argument is ludicrous because it’s not even based in reality. But I can promise you that when you are serious about protecting yourself, you want to have the best and most powerful tool at your disposal.
Too many of these people don’t understand the difference between automatic firearms and semi-automatic ones. They don’t realize that fully automatic weapons are already banned from civilian ownership. A fully automatic weapon, like the military M-60, is what many people refer to as a “machine gun.” Generally designed for combat, a fully automatic rifle allows the shooter to fire multiple rounds in sequence – one immediately after the other – because it automatically loads the next round as soon as the previous one is fired AND continues to fire as long as the trigger is engaged.
However, as stated, such weapons are already banned from civilian ownership. The vast majority of firearms available to the general public are semi-auto in design. Others, like a bolt-action rifle or a shotgun, have to be manually reloaded after each fire. It’s an older design that’s still popular, but they lack the quick efficiency of the semi-automatic weapon. Unlike the automatic firearm, the semi-auto only fires ONE SINGLE ROUND each time the trigger is depressed. The only thing automatic about it is that it loads the next round after the previous one is fired – a time-saving feature that makes it easier to use than a weapon you have to manually reload after every shot.
“Ban Those Scary Looking Guns!”
None of this matters to the whackos advocating for gun bans. Nor does the fact that criminals – by definition – don’t obey laws. Still, they point to what they call “assault rifles” – like the AR-15 – and claim no one should own it because it’s a military grade weapon. False. The AR-15 is not and was never used by the military. It’s also not automatic, but rather semi-automatic. Furthermore, AR does not mean “assault rifle.” It actually stands for Armalite Rifle, and the AR-15 was specifically designed for civilian use. What’s more, it’s a great choice of weapon for personal defense due to its easy handling and efficiency.
In fact, for all their attempts to instill fear in people regarding these “scary-looking” weapons, the AR-15 is rather tame when it comes to power. It’s basically the same as a regular .22 rifle with a few modifications to make it easier to grip and handle. The fact that it’s similar in appearance to the military M-16 rifle, giving it a more intimidating look, is one of the reasons it’s so effective as a personal defense firearm. A would-be attacker will think twice about trying to go up against a citizen carrying the AR-15 precisely because it’s “so darn scary-looking.”
Mind Your Own Business
Then they ask one of the dumbest questions I’ve ever heard. Even Joe Biden asked this question… “Do you need a hundred rounds?!”
First of all, this was asked at the time as though shooting a deer was the only reason anyone would want a gun. Again, it’s not about hunting. It’s about protection. I hope I never need 100 rounds to defend myself, but I certainly would rather HAVE and not need than to NEED and not have. However, all that is irrelevant. My answer to the question would be, “Frankly, sir, it’s none of your business how many rounds of ammunition I have.”
That brings us to the heart of the matter… The 2nd Amendment clearly states that “the right of the individual to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.” This means it’s none of the government’s business what weapons I own – nor how many rounds I have – because it’s MY RIGHT to do so, and they have ZERO SAY in it. They are Constitutionally NOT ALLOWED to interfere in my ability to arm and protect myself – PERIOD. All the effort to make it seem like it’s about stopping mass shootings and violent crime is just a smokescreen.
The Bottom Line
Historically, there is but ONE reason a government has ever attempted to disarm the populous – just ONE – and that is so they could exact totalitarian control. Our founding fathers were keenly aware of the tyranny that could once again befall us – their posterity – if they didn’t do something to ensure individual liberties and put constraints on the government.
That’s why they wrote the Constitution in such a way that it limits the powers of the government while affirming the God-given rights of the people. The more limited the government, the freer the individual. We must realize that those who seek to expand the power of government are in fact seeking to destroy our freedom.
presented by Great Commission Ministries 