Quote:
Originally Posted by Joeyy
Hope to log on in a couple of hours to a free America and not......well you know were I was going with that one. Good night, my pillow is screaming my name.
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I hesitate to even post in this thread, but I guess I will anyway. I happen to support and agree with the interpretation of the 2nd amendment as allowing private firearm ownership, and own a couple of guns myself. That being said, the 2nd amendment is not the primary determinant of whether America is "free" or not (and Joeyy, this is nothing personal and not directed at you specifically).
There seems to be a prevalent view among gun owners (I only say this because I've heard it repeated over and over and over) that having a lot of people owning guns in this country is the primary deterrent which will prevent the government from becoming tyrannical, i.e. hauling you out of your house and throwing you in jail for political views, religious beliefs, etc. I really think this is a short sighted and ignorant view though since the U.S. Constitution as a whole, and having a government which
adheres to the constitution as a whole, is what prevents tyranny here. The 2nd amendment is only 1 out of 10 in the bill of rights - that's only 10% of the total framework designed to afford you as an individual some protection from the government's otherwise unlimited power. Let alone the rest of the main body of the Constitution.
Owning a gun, or even having a whole fucking arsenal in your basement, will not save you if the government decides for whatever reason that you are a dissident and comes for you. They will
always have more guns than you, they will
always have more troops than you and your friends & family can fight off, and they
will kill each and every last one of you should you decide to put up a fight. Remember Waco? Or any of the other various small rebellions, riots, or last-stands at isolated compounds, dotting U.S. history? Each one has been decisively crushed by force and they always will be.
A far wiser course is to do what you can to get people elected who will respect the Constitution, so the government doesn't decide to come for you in the first place. That might sound pretty intangible compared to the feel of a gun in your hand, but it really is the best defense we have. I used to be pretty much a single issue voter on the issue of gun control - if somebody in the least little way might be in favor of more regulation, I wasn't voting for 'em. My views have changed substantially in the last few years though, and I look at candidates views on everything related to the power of the federal government.. gun control, wiretapping, search & seizure, etc.
That's probably enough rambling for now, so I'll shut up.