There are allot of issues that I’m concerned about. The economy, the war on terror, border security, and property rights are right up near the top of my list of the most important issues facing us today.
But in truth, there is one issue, more specifically the candidates position on that issue, that tells me just about everything I need to know about a candidate. Or at least everything I need to know to keep the candidate in the running for my vote. That issue is gun control.
Any candidate that believes that by restricting your constitutionally recognized god given right to keep and bear arms that somehow society is a safer place is sorely mistaken and cannot be trusted. They cannot be trusted because they believe we are not capable of taking care of ourselves. No, wait, its not even that innocent. They dont want us to be able to take care of ourselves. They want you to be dependent on the government. The more dependent you are on the government, the more power the government has, and the less freedom you have. If a candidate is not on the right side of gun rights, they probably are not on the right side of all the other issues Im concerned with. If a candidate does not support gun rights and the right of a person to defend themselves, their family and their property, their core values are fundamentally flawed.
The U.S. Constitution is not a cafeteria menu that you get to pick and choose your favorite dishes from (Ill take a free speech and a side of separation of church and state please), it is the rule book for government. And as such the government must follow it explicitly. You cant take an oath of office to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States, and then turn around and trample one of its amendments. To do so puts you in violation of your oath.
It seems more and more common that new legislation is created and thrown at the wall to see if it will stick. Instead of following the constitution when writing legislation, it will be written to specifically challenge the authority of the constitution. And once voted into law, it can take months if not years or decades to get it overturned by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile us regular citizens have to bend over, and take it with a smile or else. And now, even when the Supreme Court declares a gun ban unconstitutional (i.e. DC gun ban) and specifically ruling that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, other government officials publicly announce that it doesnt apply to their laws.
Lets get something straight. Laws dont stop criminals. Laws simply allow us to punish criminals for their crimes by temporarily removing them from society, and if necessary, permanently. And in doing so, we hope that it will detour crime. Now, lets take murder for example. A person who commits murder already has little or no concern for the law. The murderer is never going to stop and think, god I better not use a gun, I might go to jail, maybe I better just use a knife or a baseball bat. Nope, thats just not how it happens. Criminals target potential victims who they perceive as weak, are not likely to fight back or are incapable of protecting themselves. The fact is, gun control doesnt work. It doesnt reduce crime. It just increases the victim pool for the criminals to choose from.
I think Robert A. Heinlein said it best An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his actions with his life.
-Thomas