Why We’re Losing the 2nd Amendment Fight – Stand Now or Lose Forever!

The first step of the gun control advocates to make advances in removing guns from the citizens was systematically redefining what the 2nd Amendment means. They have been very effective at that, and we have allowed it. We have entire generations that think the 2nd Amendment is about hunting or allowing ownership of only certain firearms that must be locked away. It sickens me, and indicates unbelievable ignorance when I hear someone say, “I am a staunch 2nd Amendment supporter but even I…. (fill in the blank)”.

A lot of this started with the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. Which through the guise of public safety put restrictions on private ownership of firearms that the Founders never intended. We find ourselves once again seeing tyrants wanting to strip our rights, our ability to protect ourselves… so we can be safer.

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”
– William Pitt (the Younger), Speech in the House of Commons, November 18, 1783

Since 1934, the NFA has continued to add on regulations and reduce freedoms, some through legislation, but primarily through bureaucratic fiat via ATF letters.
Without getting into wonkish and boring details, let’s just take a step back and remind everyone the true purpose of the 2nd Amendment.

Most would agree that the United States is founded on the principle that it is a government Of the People, For the People. What that means is government doesn’t RULE the people and government (regarding domestic matters) doesn’t have special rights or freedoms that We the People don’t have.

The entire intent behind enshrining the 2nd Amendment into our Constitution was to restrain the government from ever putting restrictions on private gun ownership.The reason for this was two-fold. The Founders did this to preserve the ability of every citizen to have the military might to fight against an invading military force. The second was preserving the ability of the citizen to resist government if it ever got out of control and became oppressive. Both of which outline the need of the individual to have “military grade” weapons.

If we allow government to strip the People of the ability to own the most effective fighting weapons that are commercially available, while allowing the government to retain superior firepower, that gives the government an advantage that cannot be overcome with low capacity, bolt action rifles. This defeats the entire purpose of the 2nd Amendment.

We have already lost part of this fight by allowing the government to strip away the right to own full auto weapons with the enactment of the wholly unconstitutional NFA. We should be on the offensive to roll back the NFA which is an unconstitutional tax that only allows the rich to own certain weapons. Even the biggest “gun rights” groups are content  being relegated to playing defense and simply with losing ground as slowly as possible instead of fighting for rights already stripped away. We sure as hell better not give up ground on AR15’s and other high capacity semi autos. Firearms, that by the way, were specifically designed to be Fighting Rifles… not “Sporting Rifles” (quit pretending otherwise, it’s dumb).

When the government can have weaponry that the citizens can’t, that isn’t a government OF the People and FOR the PEOPLE. That’s a government creating conditions to dominate the people. We are at a pivotal point in our nation’s history. As tyrants call for socialism and to fundamentally transform our nation, it’s no coincident they are simultaneously calling for disarming the people. They use every tragedy and abuse of freedom to permanently remove liberty from the whole.

If we don’t make a political stand now, we will lose our nation, and generations after us will never know the freedom we take for granted today.

I’ll leave you with some Founding Father Quotes below to help crystallize my point.

“What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.”
– Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787

“The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.”
– Thomas Jefferson, letter to to John Cartwright, 5 June 1824

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

“To disarm the people…[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them.”
– George Mason The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788

Stay Armed, Stay Ready!
-Survival IS Paramount-