Republican Perspective Guns

Republican Perspective Guns

Save Yourself from Gun Control

Republicans support the United States Constitution, including the Second Amendment: "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."

The wording of the second amendment has been debated for many decades and has centered around the phrase “A well regulated Militia . . . “ This debate was initiated by gun control advocates to make gun control easier. They claim this phrase meant that only the “militia” has the right to have guns. But this argument was unsuccessful. The Supreme Court in the Heller decision (Heller, 554 U. S. 570 (2008) held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms.

When the Second Amendment was enacted, this country had just successfully revolted against a tyrannical government. Early in this revolt the British tried unsuccessfully to seize the arms of the colonists. They thought they could easily do this because many were kept in armories for convenience.

With this history in mind, the Framers used the Second Amendment simply to say that a free State needs an armed militia to overthrow a tyrannical power. The militia was made up of all the people and they all needed to have their individually owned guns to bring with them when they gathered to form the militia. Simple.

In addition is the fact that all of the other rights in the Bill of Rights are individual rights. For example, the first amendment guarantees freedom of religion. It does say that you can only practice your religion as a member of a church group. This right belongs to individuals just like the Second Amendment right.

There are many other reasons to save yourself from gun control. One of the most compelling is the right to be able to protect yourself with a gun if we so choose. Gun control advocates like to say that people don’t need guns because the police are our protection. The fact is that the courts have consistently ruled that the police do not have an obligation to protect individuals. In Warren v. District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, 444 A.2d 1,D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981, the court stated “… courts have without exception concluded that when a municipality or other governmental entity undertakes to furnish police services, it assumes a duty only to the public at large and not to individual members [emphasis added] of the community.” One way to interpret this ruling is that you should never call the police assuming that they will be rushing over to your house to save you. But the good news is that the police almost always arrive in time to call the ambulance or the coroner for you.

Another reason you might want to save yourself from gun control and preserve this right is because most of the police think you should. In a National Association of Chiefs of Police member poll they found that: 86% want nationwide reciprocity for concealed carry licenses; 76% think armed citizens can help cops reduce violent crime; and 88% believe any vetted citizen should be able to buy a gun (28th Annual National Survey Results, National Association of Chiefs of Police, 2016).

Another survey of 15,000 law enforcement professionals found that: 91% think banning “assault weapons” would have no effect or a negligible effect on crime; 65% believe there should be no rationing of gun purchases; 98% say criminals can obtain any type of gun through illegal means; and 62% said they would not enforce general gun control laws (Gun Policy & Law Enforcement survey, Police One, March 2013). This study was done some years ago, but in the last couple of years, as the number of gun laws has multiplied like rabbits, a number of police chiefs across the country are saying they will not enforce many of these laws, as for example, in Washington State (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/21/696400737/when-sheriffs-wont-enforce-the-law).

A final reason you might want to save yourself from gun control is that you might need or want a gun for self-defense. You have probably heard the myth that you are more likely to be injured or killed using a gun for self-defense. The fact is that injury rates using a gun for self-defense are less than for threatening/reasoning with an offender, use of other weapons, non-violent resistance or evasion, using a knife, trying to get help, or using physical force (The Value of Civilian Handgun Possession as a Deterrent to Crime or a Defense Against Crime, Don B. Kates, 1991 American Journal of Criminal Law).

Save yourself from gun control. You might be glad you did.