The Second Amendment
By T. F. Williams

I was reading an article the other day from an Australian gentleman commenting on the protests and violence currently taking place in our country with a rather condescending tone about our beliefs, political system, and hold to traditional values. Somehow, in all this, the strict adherence to the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution was brought up to be shown as an example of our lack of enlightenment in his perception. He doesn't understand our history. As David Chapelle has said in his stand up routine, "The Second Amendment is there to guarantee the First".

A gun of any type is an inanimate object. It has no motive force of its own. It is neither good nor bad. The person who takes the weapon in their hands determines the way in which it is used. I have heard this termed as "republican" logic; no, it is just a statement of fact. It just is. It is no different than a screwdriver or saw or hammer. Each tool/object can be used in a variety of ways; the user determines how the tool/object is used. A nail gun can have just as deadly an effect as a gun and holds more projectiles. It is all in how it is used.

Government has proven it is not my friend, and in most cases, it isn’t my enemy. I also know what government can become from observing the world around me. I look at China, Russia, Venezuela, North Korea, and even some of the laws regarding speech in other countries and their regulations and know it can quickly become my enemy.

I look at this current pandemic and see governors banning church services in which the participants are practicing the recommended social distancing; yet, mass protests of hundreds and thousands of people are allowed to occur. I see the rise of speech codes and “hate speech” laws and see the censoring inherent in them all. We are going down the role of reversing the freedoms we have long enjoyed.

The Second Amendment is very short and to the point: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” It is unambiguous and very clear; yet, lawyers and judges have found a way to mitigate and change the meaning of “shall not be infringed”. It is a typical politician activity. Someone uses a tool in the wrong way, causes mayhem, people get scared of something they do not think through, and to appear relevant politicians demagogue an inanimate object which cannot have possibly been the actual perpetrator of the crime. London, UK banned guns and saw knives being used and now are banning knives. Banning tools will not help when the perpetrator is intent on committing his crime. It is the heart of the perpetrator, not the tool they use.

Thomas Jefferson (I know a politically incorrect person to use) said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have." A very true and insightful quote. Benjamin Franklin said,"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." We cannot compromise our freedoms as guaranteed in the Constitution. We are allowing elected leaders, bureaucrats, and those occupying the bench to ignore those codified rights, we have only ourselves to blame when we no longer have them.

The only way we can ultimately protect ourselves against tyranny is to use and exercise, to the fullest extent, every right which is ours. Protest without violence, write and express yourself on any and every issue of importance to you, vote in every election, do not avoid jury duty, and arm yourself. Remember to motivate your friends, relatives, and neighbors to be active participants in our constitutional republic. All of us must afford ourselves of every right which is inherently ours as human beings.