Gun policy and associated lies

[snousle]

I cannot believe how much flap there has been over twenty murders in a country that experiences more than a thousand times that many every year. All because they were clustered in one place, with one perpetrator. All else being equal, is it not prereferable to have twenty children murdered by one madman, than twenty children murdered by twenty

Comments

[equinas]

This is not "some people". The Founders did not write the 2nd amendment for hunting, sport-shooting, or even self-defense. They wrote it so the that the "government fears the people". Thomas Jefferson: "When people fear the government, there is tyranny; when government fears the people, there is liberty."

They knew, and had witnessed first hand, what happens when government is allowed to disarm its people. They knew what happens when government is left unchecked. History is replete with examples of governments which began benevolently and became genocidal dictatorships, and they all disarmed their people first. Those who think this isn't a possibility and have given up their weapons now can only rely on the precious hope that their government never targets them, because they can no longer defend themselves. I'm not willing to do that.

When the 2nd amendment was written, yeah, there were only muskets and muzzle-loaders. Irrelevant argument, because the people were equally armed as the government. The 2nd amendment was made to evolve so that the people can arm themselves equivalently to the government, and that provides a deterrent. It's already been curbed with the restriction of automatic weapons, more erosion (such as an assault weapons ban) only weakens the people in their ability to deter their government from abuse.

I hope I never have to resist governmental abuse with weapons. But my ability to have them helps keep that hope alive.