Second Amendment: History's lesson and warning

[Sentinel7]

As Congress begins to consider new gun legislation this spring, it's important for citizens and lawmakers to keep two basic facts in mind.

Gun control isn't about guns — it's about control. And the right to bear arms isn't about the arms — it's about the right.

These facts may be ignored in Washington, D.C., where there is no hunting to speak of, and every government building is protected by armed guards. They are not lost on the American people, however.

They understand that the Second Amendment is of a piece with the rest of the Constitution — written to protect the rights Americans require to live in the kind of nation we have chosen to be.

The protection of individual liberty is absolutely the job of government, but it is not exclusively the job of government. It is first and foremost the job of "we the people" — individually as local communities and collectively as a nation. Well-enforced laws can deter crime, but even the best police and prosecutors in the world can not eliminate crime.

Therefore, the first defense against criminal threats to our persons and property is ourselves. That's why we have a right — a right granted by God and protected by the Constitution — to arm and protect ourselves.

We have the Second Amendment, ultimately, for two reasons.

The first is history's lesson that government can't be everywhere, all the time. So free citizens must fill in the inevitable gaps to look out for ourselves and for each other.

The second reason is history's warning that we would not like to live under any government that tried to be everywhere, all the time.

Reason number one is why we should oppose attempts by the state to restrict law-abiding citizens' right to bear arms.

Reason number two is why we should oppose the less-obviously offensive measure being promoted in Washington: the so-called "universal background check."

A law requiring background checks for all gun sales seems more politically palatable than traditional gun control. After all, it doesn't take away anyone's guns or restrict the sale or possession of firearms. It doesn't directly violate the Second Amendment at all. What's wrong with a universal background check?

In a word: everything.

First, it won't work. The federal government has trouble delivering the mail. It literally can't keep its trains (Amtrak) running on time. It wastes hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

There is no reason to believe a government $17 trillion in debt has the competence to cast a net of paperwork that will catch every single gun sale in a country of 300 million people and 300 million firearms. And even that ignores the fact — always inconvenient when designing gun laws — that armed criminals don't obey laws in the first place.

The only way to make a universal background-check system come close to working is to create a national database capturing ownership information of every single gun in the country.

To track all the gun sales, you first have to track all the guns. Otherwise it won't work.

And this is the crux of the problem.

The federal government has no right to surveil innocent citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

The federal government has no business — none — monitoring where and how often you go to church, what books and newspapers you read, who you vote for, your health conditions and the details of your private life.

These limitations may make it harder for government to do its job at times. But the Constitution was not written to maximize the convenience of the government. It was written to protect the liberty of the people.

That's why we have due process. That's why we have a Bill of Rights. And that's why we don't have federal databases tracking how law-abiding citizens choose to exercise (or not exercise) their God-given rights.

What exactly would politicians and bureaucrats do with a database listing the home addresses and personal habits of everyone in the country who, say, had a particular disease or was an atheist or whose home wasn't protected by a gun?

Even if they could guarantee the system would work, even if they could guarantee the information would never get hacked (which they can't), it would still be wrong.

I will oppose any attempt by Congress to restrict Americans' constitutional rights. And I will equally oppose any attempt to allow government surveillance of law-abiding citizens exercising those rights.

I will remind people in Washington that the Constitution protects everyone equally, not just the people we happen to agree with, and the rights we happen to like.

Sen. Mike Lee is a U.S. Senator from Utah and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

 

 

 

No Surrender No Retreat and No Compromise

[Palm Harbor]

Well spoken

[Snowpickle]

Gun control isn't realistically going to happen in the foreseeable future in America

 

Violence that includes a gun, will continue to escalate. 

 

Law abiding citizens will most likely do one of two things, arm themselves or move to a place where there is less chance of violence taking place (or as I like to frame it, vote with their feet).  These places may be areas that do have strict gun control, such as Singapore.

 

If you decide to take the option of arming yourself, then here are two things to think about:  First, the "other guy" will most likely get off the first round, as he will have the element of surprise on his side.  So if you are the primary target, you better hope he isn't a good shot.  Secondly, as you respond in kind, you better hope you are equally a good shot, or else you could add to any collateral damage.  Friendly fire is a very very sad event.

 

I'm personally not that good of a shot, so count me as one of those people that will gravitate towards an area where gun control is prevalent.  That is my choice, each to his own.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Snowpickle

[10 YEARS LATER]

Here's a quick History Lesson for you Nit Wit BRain Dead Gun Control Freaks in the Gubament. You keep pushin'. Go ahead, keep pushin'. The Americans in this country have a real high tolerance for stupid. We'll do our level best to vote IN hopefully the right folk & OUT the knuckleheads that are screwing things up this country.

 

One day Y'all gonna cross the line and it will be to late. That day hasn't come yet. Not sure when that will be. However, your reaction will probably be very similar to that of the Japanese Admiral Yamamoto after they hit Pearl Harbor. " I'm afraid we have awakened a Sleeping Giant ."

 

We all know what happened now don't we. Go on, keep pushin'.

[dog53]

Gun control isn't realistically going to happen in the foreseeable future in America

 

Violence that includes a gun, will continue to escalate. 

 

Law abiding citizens will most likely do one of two things, arm themselves or move to a place where there is less chance of violence taking place (or as I like to frame it, vote with their feet).  These places may be areas that do have strict gun control, such as Singapore.

 

If you decide to take the option of arming yourself, then here are two things to think about:  First, the "other guy" will most likely get off the first round, as he will have the element of surprise on his side.  So if you are the primary target, you better hope he isn't a good shot.  Secondly, as you respond in kind, you better hope you are equally a good shot, or else you could add to any collateral damage.  Friendly fire is a very very sad event.

 

I'm personally not that good of a shot, so count me as one of those people that will gravitate towards an area where gun control is prevalent.  That is my choice, each to his own.

 

Well why not just get yourself a little training and become a good shot. There`s a lot more going on tiff then just pulling it out when the time comes.

There`s a whole diffrent mind set when you become a warrior . You become more aware of whats happening around you. It becomes second nature. Trouble rarly just happens there`s always tell tale signs before it occurs.

[Snowpickle]

Dog babe, first of all, I don't eat that much red meat. ha ha

 

I'm a pansy, really, the lover not a fighter type.

 

I'm also lazy.

 

To throw a little psycho babble your way: Manslow Hierarchy of need stipulates each step in human motivation has to be achieved before you can continue up the pyramid.  So as you can see from the picture below, if you have to go around "packing" then you are pretty much stuck at level 2, Safety.  I'm more of a 3-5 level gal.  I'll let you He men do the heavy lifting, while I go write a poem.

[gymrat76541]

WOW

I owned guns, and I support the 2nd Ammendment & if I meet someone who needs convincing I think this will be an excellent read for them.

 

Should be mandatory read for our rep's in Washington.

[skitealwedrop]

I am seriously considering obtaining a concealed permit in my state with training of the use of my device. I think all American's should have the option once they pass an extensive background check.  

 

I will never give up my right to carry a firearm, if I choose.

[jonjon]

I am seriously considering obtaining a concealed permit in my state with training of the use of my device. I think all American's should have the option once they pass an extensive background check.  

 

I will never give up my right to carry a firearm, if I choose.

I hold a Texas CHL, 

But in Texas the Castle Doctrine covers a multitude of carry options.

 

 Texas (Established for individual's habitation in 1995 by House Bill 94 and extended to vehicle or workplace effective September 1, 2007 by Senate Bill 378.^[15] Senate Bill 378 also "abolishes the duty to retreat if the defendant can show he: (1) had a right to be present at the location where deadly force was used; (2) did not provoke the person against whom deadly force was used; and (3) was not engaged in criminal activity at the time deadly force was used."^[16])

[cottn68]

Gun control isn't realistically going to happen in the foreseeable future in America

 

Violence that includes a gun, will continue to escalate. 

 

Law abiding citizens will most likely do one of two things, arm themselves or move to a place where there is less chance of violence taking place (or as I like to frame it, vote with their feet).  These places may be areas that do have strict gun control, such as Singapore.

 

If you decide to take the option of arming yourself, then here are two things to think about:  First, the "other guy" will most likely get off the first round, as he will have the element of surprise on his side.  So if you are the primary target, you better hope he isn't a good shot.  Secondly, as you respond in kind, you better hope you are equally a good shot, or else you could add to any collateral damage.  Friendly fire is a very very sad event.

 

I'm personally not that good of a shot, so count me as one of those people that will gravitate towards an area where gun control is prevalent.  That is my choice, each to his own.

Exactly where you should go. From your post it seems you only enjoy the freedoms that You, have paid nothing for. Frame that.

[dog53]

Dog babe, first of all, I don't eat that much red meat. ha ha

 

I'm a pansy, really, the lover not a fighter type.

 

I'm also lazy.

 

To throw a little psycho babble your way: Manslow Hierarchy of need stipulates each step in human motivation has to be achieved before you can continue up the pyramid.  So as you can see from the picture below, if you have to go around "packing" then you are pretty much stuck at level 2, Safety.  I'm more of a 3-5 level gal.  I'll let you He men do the heavy lifting, while I go write a poem.

 

 

Naaa way off im a level 4

[Kaduku]

Gun Control (='s) UN and Obama's DICTATORSHIP,  and approximately 300, 000,000 Americans in MASS GRAVES! the other 11-12 million are the Braindead Demon-crats/Liberals who killed them. Could it happen, it's possible! question is, will law abiding citizens sit back and just watch it happen...... "NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS"! Arm up America and DEFEND our Constitution/Bill of Rights, Freedom and yourselves from Obama's TYRANNY.

[skitealwedrop]

I hold a Texas CHL, 

But in Texas the Castle Doctrine covers a multitude of carry options.

 

 Texas (Established for individual's habitation in 1995 by House Bill 94 and extended to vehicle or workplace effective September 1, 2007 by Senate Bill 378.^[15] Senate Bill 378 also "abolishes the duty to retreat if the defendant can show he: (1) had a right to be present at the location where deadly force was used; (2) did not provoke the person against whom deadly force was used; and (3) was not engaged in criminal activity at the time deadly force was used."^[16])

 

What is a CHL? I'm new to the exploration of a permit and carrying a concealed weapon. I will tell you that I'm a victim of a horrible aggravated robbery. My son is also a victim of the same crime while walking home from school in Plano, Texas. The kids that robbed my son where prosecuted and went to kid jail in Collin County. We know how it feels to have a gun pointed in our faces thinking that we will shot by the perpetrators. I seriously doubt that either one of us will ever have the terrible experience again. In the interim, I'm considering a concealed hand gun permit for my personal safety. 

[dog53]

What is a CHL? I'm new to the exploration of a permit and carrying a concealed weapon. I will tell you that I'm a victim of a horrible aggravated robbery. My son is also a victim of the same crime while walking home from school in Plano, Texas. The kids that robbed my son where prosecuted and went to kid jail in Collin County. We know how it feels to have a gun pointed in our faces thinking that we will shot by the perpetrators. I seriously doubt that either one of us will ever have the terrible experience again. In the interim, I'm considering a concealed hand gun permit for my personal safety. 

 

Very wise choice Ski

[skitealwedrop]

Very wise choice Ski

 

I have tried to be a trusting in a humane way with others. Dallas and the suburbs are not as safe as some would like to believe. I gave up riding the DART train to Down Town Dallas. The people on the train and those that hang out around the platforms are questionable, at best.

 

I know I need to do a better job at watching my back with preparation in the event I need it. I have become too lax in my safety.