The 2nd Amendment

In regards to the issue of the second amendment I have put some thought into the topic and realized that on the issue of security we should not make possession of all weapons illegal. Personally I am somewhat of a history buff and this being so I recall the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence;

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.


In these two paragraphs one of the messages that stands out to me with regards to firearm control is the concept that when a government strays from its duties to the people to such a degree that it cannot be corrected it must be dissolved. If this is ever the case an unarmed populace would have no hope to fight back against an armed dictatorship and all hopes of liberty and the freedoms we hold dear would fade away into history.

While we may now live in a democracy there is no way to ensure that this country will always be that way. This country has been in existence for about half that of the Roman Republic and I think we all know what the outcome of that was. Contrary to popular belief Caesar did not simply change the political landscape of Rome instantaneously, rather there was a long road leading to it. Originally Rome was ruled by kings until much like us they threw off the yolk of tyranny and established a republic. Overtime however things changed, agrarian reforms, civil war, social reforms, military reforms, all of which were done “in the name of the people”. Truth be told looking back it seems that the only reason such things occurred was due to the fact that some men wanted power and they needed to be elected, to do so they made promises to the people, got elected, fulfilled those promises and at the same time satisfied their own ends. Much like today politicians are always promising reforms and yet congressional and presidential approval are at an all time low. The way I see it the only difference between democrats, republicans, and every other politician are not the issues but rather those who vote for them.

Even Caesar’s grab at power was “to restore the republic”. When it comes down to it democracies walk a very fine line between dictatorships and anarchy. A prudent man would do well to prepare for the possible slip that leads to a fall.