We are hearing a lot of talk from those who seek to control the American people and limit their liberty, questioning why anyone would need a so called “assault weapon”. While it is humorously ironic when British blowhard Piers Morgan spouts off criticizing our 2nd Amendment, it is a little more disturbing when American politicians follow suit.
Since many politicians choose to ignore history and walk all over the Constitution, it is good to talk a look back and see where these radical notions of an armed society and liberty came from.
As I have long pointed out on this blog, the 2nd Amendment isn’t about shooting deer, it’s about shooting tyrants. Our nation was FOUNDED on such a notion. The only people who would throw off the chains of tyranny and then undercut the ability for future generations to do so would be tyrants themselves. I do not view George Washington, Ben Franklin or Thomas Paine in this light and I wonder how today’s gun control zealots can twist the history of our founding so cockeyed that they would make tyrants of our founding fathers.
The Colonists during this time had petitioned the King, wrote to Parliament, and took all the peaceful avenues of redress that they could. Finally, when their grievances were ignored, their property seized, taxes crippled them and they were denied the rights that their English cousins enjoyed they said ‘enough’.
Now, the gun control zealots like to mock American gun owners today by trying and marginalize the 2nd Amendment saying that when it was written they were talking about muskets and that muskets are the only thing that the 2nd Amendment protects.
Of course, that is like saying the 1st Amendment only protects a hand cranked, single page printing press. But I digress.
The founding fathers were talking about muskets and early rifles. Why? Because those were the most advanced weapons of the day and with those weapons a nation was founded.
The colonists had equal, and in many cases, superior firearms than that of the British.
The British standard issue rifle of the day was the Brown Bess
The Brown Bess was in production for almost 55 years before the start of the Revolution. It, or one of its derivations was in the hands of nearly every British redcoat during the war. And talk about an “assault” weapon, the Brown Bess came with a bayonet 17 inches long, used when the British lines would literally assault the enemy position.
While the Americans where made up of militias and were less uniformed in their selection of firearms than those of their enemy, in some senses that gave the American the advantage. The Colonists, by and large, brought their own firearms to the fight. While many used derivatives of the Brown Bess, the Americans excelled at precision shooting with the Pennsylvania/Kentucky Long Rifle. The reason for the accuracy of up to 400 yards was due to the rifling of the bore which made the round fly straighter.
If gun control advocates had their way, the Colonists would have needed to use bow and arrows against the British because using their rhetoric, “who needs to shoot something 400 yards away”.
While revolution should never be the first response, the opportunity to cast of chains of tyranny should be a viable option in order to preserve liberty. As such, weapons are needed that are on par with those carried by said tyrants army.
If the Colonists were denied the use of arms equal or superior to that of the army of King George, then we might very well still be bending the knee to the Crown.
To limit the 2nd Amendment to something smaller than its intent (such as hunting or personal defense) is to limit the essence of American liberty and freedom. The 2nd Amendment is the line in the sand, and if it is allowed to be brushed away then the freedom that we enjoy today will exist only by the whims of those in charge.
Let us stand resolute to ensure that the leaders of America serve and never rule.
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