"[The Constitution preserves] the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." - James Madison, January 29, 1788.
The 2nd Amendment. I know people have different feelings when it comes to the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. Most are based on their personal experiences with guns. What I want to discuss is the historic purpose of this amendment, as well as how it applies to our society today. For the record, I do own a gun.
Let's start with the quote from above. The first part is basically saying we are one of VERY few nations in the world that allows their citizens to BEAR ARMS. And this is true to this day. When I lived in England (1999-2002), it always was a trip to me how the BOBBIES didn't carry guns. I just couldn't comprehend COPS NOT HAVING GUNS. But I must admit, the country is FAR less violent--for obvious reasons and not so obvious ones. On an elementary level, LESS GUNS equal LESS VIOLENT CRIMES. But bigger than that, their culture in general did not glorify violence as much as US. And we all know that our culture is very NUMBING. Why has television PROGRAMMING become overwhelmingly this "reality tv" genre? What do you learn from this? It's a distraction; but that's another discussion. The second part of the quote explains WHY these other countries do not allow their citizens this RIGHT--they're afraid of the citizens collective power. Why would they have this distrust if they had the people's best interest at heart? Hmmm...
Now remember, America is a very young country. And these other nations around the globe have been through what we're going through to some degree, at least on the level of "keeping the masses at bay." Unfortunately, OUR government was intricately planned BEFORE the PILGRIMS did whatever they did. A society of overindulgance! Perfect for this CHRISTIAN/CAPITALIST/IMPERIALIST amoeba we all claim to LOVE and sacrifice our loved ones to uphold. All on the grounds of our SELF-PROCLAIMED HIGHER MORAL AUTHORITY!
As I understand it, the Constitution was amended to include this RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS so we could defend "the security of (our) free state." The OUTDOORSMEN community has definitely become a very lucrative one, but this is not the true intention of the right to bear arms. Again, I believe the Constitution justifies revolution in this case.
Should everyone own a gun? NO. Should every household have a gun? YES. The reason I say this is because in the event of an actual revolution, or anything close to, responsible gun owners are going to be very easy to track down because they'll most likely have their guns registered with local, state, or federal government. If there was one in every household, there would be no way of distinguishing higher threat (to the government) levels.
I obviously support the 2nd Amendment, but I'm also for gun control. Not everyone should have access to firearms. Similar to a driving license, you need to be competent enough to handle the responsibilities that come along with bearing arms. A conflict I have though is the level of firearms one should be able to have access to. One one hand, I don't feel that people have the need to have AK-47's or grenade launchers; but on the other hand, if your reasoning for having them is in case of an uprising, your gonna need something that will make a difference. If you have a six-shooter, you'll be virtually worthless against THESE!
And I know that many will have their views on guns (set in stone) because of a family member that was killed, or their morals just don't allow for violence, or any number of other reasons. And to these people I say this: I understand the emotions that come along with a tragedy like this; it's VERY difficult. Please try to expand your mind beyond feelings. Emotions make you irrational in this society. Emotions are NATURAL reactions; and they make you act in your most natural state. And although it may seem impossible, TRUTH & REASON need to be allowed into your thoughts.
I truly believe that we are being bombarded with information, so it's too difficult to sift through. It just makes me wonder what "secret" legislation was signed last week when Paris Hilton was the TOP story on the majority of the network and cable news networks. It may seem like a very cynical view, but when you've done as much reading and research on this stuff as I have, it becomes almost undeniable that the world we are seeing right now is NOT AN ACCIDENT. Think about it. Even with the law of averages, SOMETHING has to "randomly" work out IN FAVOR of the little people of the world. Can you think of ANYTHING?
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