As the effort to infringe on the uninfringeable right to bear arms shifts into high gear, it seems appropriate to address the reason this right was enumerated among the first ten.
First, it is not about hunting or self-defense. Those are side effects. The deer were not considered the King’s, and self-defense was inferred (Publius initially thought all these rights were self-evident, but was persuaded to list some in the law. See Federalist Paper # 84) The Bill of Rights is a list of natural rights, written down and agreed upon that they could be mutually defended against the less noble tendencies in man.
The right to bear arms is about having the ability to form an effective militia should the need arise. Americans with a background in shooting guns were more effective during the Revolutionary War than those who were unfamiliar with firearms. Success in that war was directly attributed to those civilian acquired skills. You can speculate on the butterfly effect, I am grateful for their success. It was not just the skills of straight shooting and fast reloading, the well regulated militias did not break ranks. So there are intangible qualities such as courage and confidence associated with gun competency.
It is silly to argue that either the existing gun restrictions, or those proposed, do not infringe on the right to bear. Infringe is a rather low threshold to meet. If we ever find ourselves in a similar situation to our countries beginning, that is a struggle against our own government. It becomes very problematic in that there is already a list of all the names and addresses of all the gun owners. It is said “Yes, but we have a gun violence problem.” This is a weak excuse to ignore the Constitution, or worse to justify a spurious re-interpretation. If you want to limit guns, then have the integrity to first repeal the Amendment.
Let us look now at guns for self-defense. Terrorists have many weapons to choose from: airplanes, fertilizer, crockpots, imagination is their only limit. Armed citizens are a reasonable and effective solution to the terror threat we face today. A small derringer in the right purse when a terrorist is reloading could save many lives.
But, horror, we are conditioned to be afraid of guns! This fear is a learned one, and recent. A gun in plain view was considered normal and acceptable less than forty years ago. This irrational fear can be unlearned. Remember, some militias found courage when it was needed, some broke ranks and ran. Rights go hand in hand with responsibilities; overcoming that visceral fear of guns may aid in some future reach for courage.
It is a new year and resolutions abound. Should I do things to increase the likelihood of having confidence and courage when I need it? Do I have the ability to be effective, assuming I find the courage? Can I find food, water, shelter, and transport for myself and others? Do I know how to make things? Have I thought about the moral difference between rule of law and rule of men?
Finally, we do no favors trying to appease those that seek to build a government powerful enough to take our weapons and silence us into correct speech and thought. For if they succeed, that government will someday turn and do the same against them. Perhaps we should remind them that constitutional republics are the avant garde, tyranny the historical norm.
Respectfully submitted,
The Coffee Committee Chairman