A liberal's lament: The NRA might be right after all - Opinion - USATODAY.com
There's been some talk about gun rights and restrictions on DL. Mike W. and another Dana arguing pro and JadeGold against. Gun control advocates usually say they simply favor "reasonable" restrictions. They want to keep the guns from people who are either incapable of handling them properly (children, mentally ill) or criminals. Frankly, I don't know of anyone who opposes such restrictions. The problem is that JadeGold believes DC's restrictions fall into the zone of "reasonable". They are tantamount to a total ban. No handguns permits have been issued in 30 years. Long guns may be kept in the home provided they are locked and unloaded. They may not be carried in public either. There are no gun stores in DC and zoning laws prohibit them from even existing. This is a de facto if not de jure ban. I made the argument that putting those same restrictions on blogging would be considered a ban on free speech and not "reasonable" restrictions. Likewise a ban on cars with the same criteria would be considered a ban.
In my experience, gun control advocates gloss over such restrictions because they are not affected by them. Further, they believe the Bill of Rights are rights expressly enumerated to the people except for the Second which somehow limits that right to either a "collective right" or to the State. "Collective rights" are never explained. How does one enjoy a right "collectively"? Do we restrict speech to the right of people to "collectively" express them?
Sometimes they collapse under the weight of principle. Digging around I found the following editorial:
A liberal's lament: The NRA might be right after all
Mike W. frequently points out that liberty is a messy thing. You have to take the good with the ill. Free speech is going to result in people saying horrible things (c.f. Ted Rall, Michael Savage) but we have recourse. We can denounce them. "Let the ass bray" as the old saying goes.
Yes there will be people killed by guns every year. Yes there will be accidents and suicides and injuries. Conversely there will be robberies, rapes and murders prevented by guns. The police are not required to help you. You may call 911 but they may tell you that you'll have to wait or that they're not coming at all. What then?
I've lived in urban areas and suburban. I've lived in the North and the South. I can tell you that nowhere are people more polite in traffic than in areas with lots of guns. "An armed society is a polite society" as Heinlein remarked.
I'll tell you a little story. When I was in the South, my wife (then girlfriend) had a roommate. Soon To Be Mrs. Duffy and I were home watching a movie. It was a nice night so we had the windows open (fortunately). Roommate was out with friends. Around 11:00 PM I hear a car in the parking lot. Nothing unusual. Obviously looking for parking. I hear a male voice say "Get out of the car". His tone of voice was even and firm. Something just didn't feel right. I went to look out the window and couldn't see. I could see the car's taillights but that's all. Next think I hear is "Get in...get in..." and then a woman scream. I knew instantly it was "Ann". I bolted for the door as fast as I could. It was locked. I fumbled with the lock and opened the door. I looked down the balcony to see a man with a gun pointing it at "Ann". I never wanted a gun so badly in my life. One shot into the sky and he would have run. I had no idea what to do. "Ann" took the initiative and ran towards the apartments. I bolted down the stairs as fast as I could. I had to turn on the stairs so my back would be where they were. There was no way to keep them in sight on the stairs. I got to the bottom of the stairs and they were gone. I saw the man running away and chased him. I yelled "Hey" and he slowed and turned, gun up. At that point I realized how stupid it was to chase him. I turned back and he continued on. At this point, my brain is racing and thinking "Where did Ann go?" She wasn't with him, her car door was open and the car running and there were no gunshots. She hadn't passed me on the stairs. I went back to her car and parked it. As I was getting out I hear her calling me. I look up to another apartment and see the look of absolute terror on her face. She's banging on the sliding glass door with clenched fists. I've rarely seen anyone struck with such terror. I bolted up the stairs and into the stranger's apartment. She ran to me and I hugged her. Her knees went out and she was sobbing and trying to tell me the story. I told her it was OK and he was gone. The police arrived shortly afterwards. I told them the story and we filled out police reports for what seemed like ages. I think it was about 4:00 AM when they finally left.
We found out that there was a serial rapist in the area. Ann would have been his 4th victim. The police went to the media with the reports and they ran the story. Two weeks later he tried it again. This time the would be victim dispatched him with two perfect shots, center mass.
No charges were filed against the woman and DNA later confirmed he was the guy.
Guns are dangerous weapons and need to be handled with the utmost care and respect. Taking them out of the hands of law abiding citizens is not the way to ensure that happens.
Lastly, the old saw is true. Once you get rid of the Second Amendment the rest of the Bill of Rights will go quietly. I had this debate with Dorian Gray at DV's house. He dismissed the idea that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to deter government tyranny because the government has overwhelming force they can bring to bear. He is correct but that doesn't mean it wasn't the original intent. At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law; the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto held out for two weeks against the Nazis. Imagine what they could have done if they were armed.
In my experience, gun control advocates gloss over such restrictions because they are not affected by them. Further, they believe the Bill of Rights are rights expressly enumerated to the people except for the Second which somehow limits that right to either a "collective right" or to the State. "Collective rights" are never explained. How does one enjoy a right "collectively"? Do we restrict speech to the right of people to "collectively" express them?
Sometimes they collapse under the weight of principle. Digging around I found the following editorial:
A liberal's lament: The NRA might be right after all
Mike W. frequently points out that liberty is a messy thing. You have to take the good with the ill. Free speech is going to result in people saying horrible things (c.f. Ted Rall, Michael Savage) but we have recourse. We can denounce them. "Let the ass bray" as the old saying goes.
Yes there will be people killed by guns every year. Yes there will be accidents and suicides and injuries. Conversely there will be robberies, rapes and murders prevented by guns. The police are not required to help you. You may call 911 but they may tell you that you'll have to wait or that they're not coming at all. What then?
I've lived in urban areas and suburban. I've lived in the North and the South. I can tell you that nowhere are people more polite in traffic than in areas with lots of guns. "An armed society is a polite society" as Heinlein remarked.
I'll tell you a little story. When I was in the South, my wife (then girlfriend) had a roommate. Soon To Be Mrs. Duffy and I were home watching a movie. It was a nice night so we had the windows open (fortunately). Roommate was out with friends. Around 11:00 PM I hear a car in the parking lot. Nothing unusual. Obviously looking for parking. I hear a male voice say "Get out of the car". His tone of voice was even and firm. Something just didn't feel right. I went to look out the window and couldn't see. I could see the car's taillights but that's all. Next think I hear is "Get in...get in..." and then a woman scream. I knew instantly it was "Ann". I bolted for the door as fast as I could. It was locked. I fumbled with the lock and opened the door. I looked down the balcony to see a man with a gun pointing it at "Ann". I never wanted a gun so badly in my life. One shot into the sky and he would have run. I had no idea what to do. "Ann" took the initiative and ran towards the apartments. I bolted down the stairs as fast as I could. I had to turn on the stairs so my back would be where they were. There was no way to keep them in sight on the stairs. I got to the bottom of the stairs and they were gone. I saw the man running away and chased him. I yelled "Hey" and he slowed and turned, gun up. At that point I realized how stupid it was to chase him. I turned back and he continued on. At this point, my brain is racing and thinking "Where did Ann go?" She wasn't with him, her car door was open and the car running and there were no gunshots. She hadn't passed me on the stairs. I went back to her car and parked it. As I was getting out I hear her calling me. I look up to another apartment and see the look of absolute terror on her face. She's banging on the sliding glass door with clenched fists. I've rarely seen anyone struck with such terror. I bolted up the stairs and into the stranger's apartment. She ran to me and I hugged her. Her knees went out and she was sobbing and trying to tell me the story. I told her it was OK and he was gone. The police arrived shortly afterwards. I told them the story and we filled out police reports for what seemed like ages. I think it was about 4:00 AM when they finally left.
We found out that there was a serial rapist in the area. Ann would have been his 4th victim. The police went to the media with the reports and they ran the story. Two weeks later he tried it again. This time the would be victim dispatched him with two perfect shots, center mass.
No charges were filed against the woman and DNA later confirmed he was the guy.
Guns are dangerous weapons and need to be handled with the utmost care and respect. Taking them out of the hands of law abiding citizens is not the way to ensure that happens.
Lastly, the old saw is true. Once you get rid of the Second Amendment the rest of the Bill of Rights will go quietly. I had this debate with Dorian Gray at DV's house. He dismissed the idea that the purpose of the Second Amendment is to deter government tyranny because the government has overwhelming force they can bring to bear. He is correct but that doesn't mean it wasn't the original intent. At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law; the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto held out for two weeks against the Nazis. Imagine what they could have done if they were armed.
Comments
Hence Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership was founded.