# Honesty in the Gun Debate



## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Some of us may feel ill-prepared to defend our basic freedoms when confronted with good-intentioned, emotional responses to the current gun debate.

Instead of providing a link to this historically correct essay and its application to today's challenges, it follows below.

As stories of the Parkland murders continue to dominate the news cycle, public sentiment is being manipulated in a new and most disturbing way. In the media - both social and mainstream - responsibility for the tragedy is being shifted from the mentally unbalanced-premeditating-murderer of 17 innocents to the National Rifle Association - an organization whose primary purpose is to preserve and protect our individual freedoms. And, while reactionaries cry for more feel-good legislation, over two centuries ago a litany of revered statesmen spoke thoughtfully of the very circumstance we face today. Viewed through the long lens of history, wisdom and perspective may be gleaned by those willing to learn.

*"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."*
- Samuel Adams

The promise of the 2nd Amendment was neither a blank check nor demand loan. There are conditions to the right to keep and bear arms and Adams' "peaceable citizens of the United States" definition applies still today. Peaceable citizens do not get in fights, abuse animals, make threats, and they certainly do not murder their teachers and classmates. It is hard to argue that the mind of a perpetrator of mass murder is not defective. And, though there were ample warning signs and opportunities to either stop or mitigate the Parkland atrocity, numerous systems failed and 17 people died. Clearly, changes need to be made to avert future tragedies, but unalienable means unalienable. Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable for a reason.

*"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."*
- Thomas Jefferson
*"To disarm the people&#8230;s the most effectual way to enslave them."*_
- George Mason

Jefferson knew "debarring" citizens of firearms was the critical first step towards the loss of individual liberties; Mason took the thought it to its natural conclusion. He knew shackles and chains were not the only way to enslave a society. Our 1st Amendment provides, among others, the unalienable right to speak, assemble, and worship as we see fit. These are foundational freedoms - the loss of which would effectively enslave us to the will of tyrannical rulers. It is no coincidence that the Founders placed equal importance on the individual freedom to defend one's rights, one's self from physical harm, and importantly, from those powers who might seek to take away those rights. Ben Franklin expounded on this theme very clearly:
*"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."*
- Benjamin Franklin

Ironically, one of the leaders on the other side of the American Revolution had similar thoughts on individual freedoms.
*"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." - William Pitt (the Younger)*

An American statesman and British Prime Minister on opposite sides of a seismic conflict both recognized the same fundamental truth. In the wake of Parkland virtually everyone agrees "something" should be done, but what and at what cost? It is never necessary to give up freedoms for the sake of a little temporary safety. And would surrendering some of our 2nd Amendment rights yield society even temporary safety? History's conclusion is a clear "no".
*"The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes&#8230;. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."*
- Thomas Jefferson

What was true in the 18th Century rings true today. When citizens are denied their God-given right to proportional self-defense, the odds in the struggle between good and evil move decidedly in the favor of evil. Citizens rendered defenseless by well-intentioned but short-sighted legislation banning firearms are significantly more likely to become victims of crime than constituents of jurisdictions that do not infringe 2nd Amendment freedoms. It is no coincidence U.S. cities such as Chicago and Washington D.C. - cities with the most stringent restrictions on firearms - consistently report the highest incidence of gun violence.

Yet America's problem remains, as our lack of empathy prevents engagement in any meaningful dialogue.

Tragedies like Parkland are a call to arms for both pro and anti-gunners to take extreme positions. We demonize the opposition with no attempt to understand each other's perspective and motivation. Is it any wonder we are no closer to figuring out a solution?

The majority of people on the anti-gun side are not unreasonable. They do not want to take our guns for fun or spite. They are good people who only want the violence to stop. To their way of thinking, removing guns from society is the simplest way to achieve that end. But neither the problems we face nor their solutions are simple.

Today's public debate barely mentions the causation for a generation of mass murderers. In addition to a mental health screening system that is clearly failing, discipline, family values, and personal responsibility are lacking in many households today. The desensitization to human suffering and death promulgated by Hollywood and the video game industry are also issues we must address as a society in order to slow and eventually put an end to this epidemic of violence; but, that discussion is not likely to happen - not when liberal leaders pushing for more governmental control know it is much more effective to juxtapose dead children with an AR 15 and spent cases.

This is why so many of us stand with the NRA and fight like hell to protect the 2nd Amendment. I do not know the final answer to solving America's gun violence problem but I do know banning the modern sporting rifle is not. History has proven the most important step in subjugating a nation is to take away its citizens' ability to fight tyranny, which is often done under the guise of protecting children.
*"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."*
- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

Can we all agree on at least this one thing? #neveragain
- Steve Scott

Steve Scott is a reformed attorney, long-time university instructor, and producer and host of the Safari Hunter's Journal and Outdoor Guide television series on air and online. He is also a past president and current member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)._


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Great article.


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## azpredator... (Feb 15, 2018)

Awesome article... do you have a link to it Glen. It would be nice to print out a few thousand and hand them out to all the ignorant people who think the government or a phone app is going to protect them.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Yes, Eric. I have it on my blog. This is one in a series to be published by Steve.

Nice pic you have there!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

A great reminder of how to deal with the uninformed


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## Buckmark13 (Feb 24, 2018)

Glen - what is your site / blog? I would love to look at it and thanks for sharing....great read!


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Welcome to the site, Buckmark.

To answer your question, if it were a bear it would have bitten you.

It's that little blue, underlined text below.


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## Buckmark13 (Feb 24, 2018)

Thanks, but unfortunately I don't see a hyperlink. I'm on my phone though, so I'll try it tonight from home on a tablet or laptop.

Appreciate the reply and, while I'm a lifelong hunter, I never really spent much time going after predators. I'm looking forward to learning more and more along the way.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## 220swift (Mar 2, 2011)

Welcome to the PT forum Buckmark!


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Buckmark: Here's a link to Steve Scott's assessment of the gun control debate: http://thinkingafield.org/2018/02/23325.html

The politicians seem bent on removing protections the Bill of Rights provides citizens from none other than themselves. But, they always know what's best for us common folk - and, that includes the Top Dog.


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## Buckmark13 (Feb 24, 2018)

glenway said:


> Buckmark: Here's a link to Steve Scott's assessment of the gun control debate: http://thinkingafield.org/2018/02/23325.html
> 
> The politicians seem bent on removing protections the Bill of Rights provides citizens from none other than themselves. But, they always know what's best for us common folk - and, that includes the Top Dog.


Thanks very much. Youngdon sent me your site as well and I spent some time on it, and then bookmarked it. Good content and thank you for putting it all together. Youngdon and I had a good chat as well.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)




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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

linky no worky.....


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

This is the best 7:21 I've spent since I read the above article.


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

odd the link worked for me.

thanks YD.


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

Give it a +1 for me too.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Thanks, YD. There is not a word I would disagree with; however, I would add this: The idea that police and ex-military members have more potential to stop the whackos than ordinary citizens falls a bit short of the truth.

The fact of the matter is that common citizens - and, yes teachers - are being trained in the use of firearms to a level that *exceeds* that of any police academy. And, these people are already on the job - armed across the country.

One phrase often heard in these moments of national grief is "We need to DO something." Activists lay blame on the NRA, Republicans, and the gun owning community, saying they are responsible for the deaths because they are preventing our society from DOING something.

"This is simply not true," says Dean Rieck, Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA). "The fact is, gun owners ARE doing something. We've been doing something for years."

Rieck touts BFA's various activities to directly address violence in schools, reduce suicides, promote gun safety, and support enforcement of gun laws.

FASTER Saves Lives is one prominent example. FASTER provides educators with intensive violence response and trauma first aid training. Classes are provided at no cost to schools, funded through private donations. To date, more than 1,300 teachers and staff from 225 districts across 12 states have received this training, including educators in 76 of Ohio's 88 counties. Up to 400 additional educators are set to go through training in 2018.

"Those calling for gun control have little interest in taking real steps to promote public safety and well-being. Instead, they use gun control as a political hammer to bash Republicans, bash Conservatives, and bash the NRA and organizations like ours. It's a disingenuous tactic to do fundraising. But they are doing nothing at all to address real-world problems," says Rieck.

"We stopped falling for this misleading tactic long ago. We're addressing these problems and putting our money where our mouth is. What are gun control activists doing?

"We provide training to deter or stop mass murderers in schools. Do they? We work with the Ohio Department of Mental Health to promote suicide awareness and prevention. Do they? We support efforts to teach gun safety to kids and adults. Do they? We support the hiring of more police, strictly enforcing current laws, and keeping violent criminals locked up. Do they?"


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

_ "__Youngdon sent me your site as well and I spent some time on it, and then bookmarked it. Good content and thank you for putting it all together. Youngdon and I had a good chat as well._"

Buckmark, you had the ear of a good man. Glad you were able to find the site. It's something I do at my expense and with my time. No advertising pays a dime for any of it.


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

glenway said:


> Thanks, YD. There is not a word I would disagree with; however, I would add this: The idea that police and ex-military members have more potential to stop the whackos than ordinary citizens falls a bit short of the truth.
> 
> The fact of the matter is that common citizens - and, yes teachers - are being trained in the use of firearms to a level that *exceeds* that of any police academy. And, these people are already on the job - armed across the country.
> 
> ...


 another thing we always hear after these shootings is ,

"no one NEEDS an AR to hunt!"

this thinking infuriates me!

being the exceptional hunter I am ,no I don't NEED one.actually don't even want one.

BUT I have zero problem with those that do want them , owning them! frankly, I don't care wether they NEED them or not. if they WANT THEM AND CAN AFFORD THEM IT IS THEIR GOD GIVEN RIGHT ,TO OWN THEM!

are we really gonna start outlawing things based on wether we NEED it or not?????????????

do women NEED a closet full of shoes? THEM THINGS'LL TAKE AN EYE OUT WHEN DE WIFE CHUCKS ONE AT YA.

does anyone really NEED MORE THEN ONE CAR??? pretty tough to drive two at once.AND ONE WILL TAKE OUT A PRETTY GOOD SIZED CROWD.

how about pets ? does anyone really NEED one? how many pets have attacked people???? by GODS we betta ban em!

how about corvettes?? sure they make some feel better about their small package but do they really NEED IT.

DO COLLEGE BABIES REALLY NEED THEIR "safe spaces"????????????

how about air conditioning?? mankind thrived for milleniums without them, better ban em. SAVE MOTHER EARTH!

airplanes ???? if GOD wanted man to fly he would have given us wings.

POINT IS THE, "DON'T NEED THEM", ARGUEMENT IS A PRETTY STUPID ARGUEMENT ,BROUGHT FORTH BY PRETTY STUPID PEOPLE!


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

No doubt about what you've pointed out, Kiyote. I'm having trouble locating any links to the "Bill of Needs." Maybe a Leftie could point me in the proper direction.


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

glenway said:


> No doubt about what you've pointed out, Kiyote. I'm having trouble locating any links to the "Bill of Needs." Maybe a Leftie could point me in the proper direction.


lol. I doubt it .

it's been my experience that no leftie that lives has ever been able to point themselves in the "right "direction.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

The "Bill of Needs" .....

Classic !


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## Mo Mo (Sep 16, 2016)

:lurk:


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)




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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

He makes some great points..


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