The Second Amendment is a fantastic gift that our founding fathers secured in the greatest civic document in history, the Constitution of the United States. To understand how we have such a right requires we examine why we have that right, and how the Second Amendment plays out in our daily lives.
It has been said that every law on the books, from Jaywalking to Treason ends with a simple, implied phrase: “... or we will kill you.” It seems harsh and unrealistic, but really, it isn’t. Taken to the final act, resistance to the law, and the enforcement of the law at every turn will eventually end with that result. If you get a speeding ticket, but refuse to go to court, the court will issue a warrant. Refuse to be arrested on that warrant, and you will be pursued. Once located, you will be subdued. Use force to avoid capture, force will be returned, until you stop using force, either willingly or, well, by your death. If at any point the government backs off, we discover they really didn’t mean it. It wasn't really a law, but merely a suggestion.
Apply that path to a law most of us obey, only by force or threat of force: paying taxes. Most of us don’t want to pay taxes. We hate paying taxes. We fear the IRS and curse the politicians. So why do we pay them? Because failure to comply will result in loss of our property and, eventually, men with guns showing up administer the final negotiation. For most of us, the alternative is just too high a price to pay, and it’s just not worth it!
I often hear proponents of gun control say the Second Amendment is antiquated and unrealistic in holding the government in check. Is it really? Do we obey laws because our hands are forced, or because it’s just not worth the trouble? It’s usually the latter. These pundits will immediately cite the overwhelming might of the US Military. They suggest, and correctly so, that a civilian MIlitia would not have access to fighter jets, aircraft carriers, smart bombs and artillery, or ALL of the GPS satellites. Given the prospect of World War III, even if it were to be fought between the US and every other military on earth, as technological assets are concerned, the US has a distinct advantage.
Why would a government be held in check by an armed population when they hold so much military might? For that same reason most of us obey laws we don’t like, or even despise… It’s just not worth the trouble. A civil war certainly wouldn’t overthrow the government, but 300 Million firearms would make the price of dissolving a government by the people & for the people, far too high.
Look at nations that don’t secure a right to bear arms. Most other rights we enjoy are all but non-existent. Civilized, Western, Proper Europe lacks anything remotely similar, just with regards to individual liberties. They have NO freedom of the press. NO free speech. No Fourth Amendment or anything resembling it. They only have the rights the government gives them. Why would they have any more?
What’s the worst that could happen?
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