2nd Amendment - "so, why do you NEED those guns?"

This will be the first of many posts concerning the 2nd Amendment. To sum up my beliefs in one quick tag line: all your other rights are useless without the means to defend them. I feel more strongly about this issue than any other and could easily go on all day about it. However, I will break it down into more manageable chunks by hitting just one question or aspect of it at a time.

Today’s topic is my reply to those who say, “Yeah, but you don’t really NEED that gun anyway.” This is what my boss says when the conversation turns to that scourge of mankind, that wellspring of evil - the AR15 (for those who don’t know what that is, look it up. And here’s a hint: it is neither evil, nor an “assault weapon”). Seems like a reasonable question at first, doesn’t it? I mean, do I really NEED an AR15 to get me to work on time? Um…no. Do I really NEED a pistol to help me get my groceries? Um…still no (unless the economy collapses and all hell breaks loose, in which case…yes).

For a long time I struggled to find the right response to this. And then, it hit me. Here’s my biggest problem with the “you don’t really NEED it” argument: our system of government in America (and our society in general) was not founded on the belief that you have to justify wanting or needing something. You are entitled to the pursuit of whatever you choose, so long as you do not intentionally hurt someone else along the way. This is the whole idea of freedom: freedom of speech (you do not have to justify what you say, you are simply free to say it); freedom of religion (you do not have to justify your God, or lack of one, you are simply free to believe as you wish).

Our system is NOT about justifying why you need something; it is about justifying the need to RESTRICT something. Our system was designed so that the GOVERNMENT has to justify (rather extensively) why they should be able to RESTRICT your needs/wants/rights. That is the point of a free society.

Think about that for a moment. If you had to justify your need for everything in life, how would you do it? Do you really NEED freedom of speech to get to work on time? Well, no (just ask North Koreans or the Chinese). Do you really NEED freedom to worship in order to get your groceries? Again, no. So, you do not NEED these freedoms, yet you demand them anyway.

Why?

Because at a fundamental level, you know that it is right to do so. You can feel it in your bones, that to be denied the ability to speak your mind is WRONG! That to be denied the right to pray to your god is WRONG! That to be denied the ability to protect and defend your life, family, home, and country is WRONG!

Wait…what did I just say? The right to protect your family? Your home? Your country? Isn’t that why we have police and the military? Actually, no. Well, yes to the military, but no to the first one. It is not the responsibility of the police to protect you or your family. That responsibility rests with you. All the police do is try to deter crime by being present in the area, and investigate it later, after it happens. There are 300 million people in America, and less than a million police officers. Do the math. They can’t be everywhere.

Let’s dig a little deeper here. We know we live in a society where we are free to pursue our lives unmolested, as long as we do not hurt others along the way. Well, to those who say that my AR15 is hurting them, I say this: from inside its 800-pound safe, it’s not hurting anyone. However:

- your SUV spews pollutants into the air that do hurt me. Therefore, you no longer have the right to purchase, own or operate any vehicle that gets less than 40 MPG. You don’t really NEED that Cadillac Escalade anyway.
- your stereo plays loud music that hurts my eardrums and diminishes my hearing. Therefore, you are no longer permitted to have or use any music-playing device. You don’t really NEED that iPod anyway.
- large homes over 1500 square feet waste energy and are an affront to the less fortunate. Therefore, no family in America will be permitted to occupy more than 1500 square feet of living space. If your home is larger than this, it will either be demolished, or you will be forced to take on new residents. You don’t really NEED that big house anyway.
- all religions that differ from my own shall be abolished, and following their teachings will be punishable by imprisonment. Your teachings are different from mine, so they might be bad for me. You don’t really NEED freedom of religion anyway.
- how about access to books? Movies? Your fishing boat? Golf? You can live without them.

So, justify why you should be allowed to keep these excessive, flashy, polluting products. You can’t. When you look at it, there are a lot of things we don’t really NEED in life, in order to survive. But if I were to take them away, you would fight me to the bitter end. As well you should. Without them, life becomes meaningless.

Chief among these needs - is liberty.

Chew on that. And keep your hands off my AR15.