For the Love of Liberty

“What is our defense against Tyranny….”

“…Our Defense is in the love of liberty.”

This abbreviated quote from Abraham Lincoln may seem a bit self evident… but in it’s simplicity is the same genius that the Framers embodied in our Bill of Rights.  This gift from the Framers has taken on a serious practicality today as a result of the legislature and the Governor of California.

The Second Amendment was not designed as a guarantee for hunters.  Nor was it an Amendment that was based around something akin to a National Guard.  The Second Amendment was our fundamental bulwark against tyranny of our own government, or invasion from another.

Our political philosophy begins with an understanding that each of us are unique sovereign units befitted by our Creator with complete sovereignty.  We are social creatures though, and without some method of lightly regulating our social discourse, our society becomes grossly inefficient.  We also become vulnerable to attack from outside nation-states.

So, to secure our individual liberty, we ironically loan a small part of our sovereignty to a centralized state.  That state only enjoys the limited empowerment that it’s citizens provided it.  The minute it attempts to expand beyond the scope of its charter, the sovereignty instantly transfers back to the people and the legitimacy of the government fails.  From this point on, the only legitimacy that the government has is one of force and coercion.

To counter this illegitimate use of force, the Framers recognized the pre-existing right to keep and bear arms.  Both as a means of protecting against the local criminal as well as the criminal actions of an illegitimate government.

Many of us see the Second Amendment as only being “activated” during certain specific times.  When at the range we are “exercising” our Second Amendment Rights.  During the criminal attack, we are “defending ourselves” with our Second Amendment Rights.  In the case of national emergency, or criminal actions of our government, we are “protecting ourselves” with our Second Amendment rights.

There is a secondary component though…  one that the Framers baked into the program that acts as a defense against tyranny through the simple presence of the Second Amendment.  A means of destroying the enemies of freedom without ever firing a shot.

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For a tyrant to be successful, they must convince their subjects to abandon their notions of freedom.  The firewall against tyranny is the Second Amendment, so it stands to reason that the keeping and bearing of arms must be regulated dramatically, or eliminated completely for a tyrant to feel comfortable in their control of their subjects.

Yet the sheer act of attempting to limit the scope of the Second Amendment effectively exposes the tyrant and…. if history is any guide… ends their political career.

On the national level, the NRA is powerful… not by the money that they control… but by the recognized outcome that every anti-gun politician knows exists.  Were the NRA to suddenly cease to exist tomorrow, the effect of the “gun lobby” on congress would not change.  When the Federal Government seeks to curtail the scope of the Second Amendment, those who authored these limitations are held to account.

President Clinton lost his majority in Congress because of it.

Colorado had a political upheaval because of it.

Even specific California congressmen have been called to task because of their actions.

Senator Roberti survived a recall after his so called “Assault Weapons Ban” went into effect, but was so economically crippled as a result of that recall effort that he lost his parties nomination for State Treasurer… ending his political career.

There has already been moves to recall the Governor.  There are also moves to recall specific assemblymen and senators.  Both are good since they will force expenditures from their own war chests.  Others have suggested running politically viable candidates in targeted anti-gun legislature’s districts.

This has unique merits.

California has been a one party state with a meek and muted secondary party.  By focusing on the electing of pro-gun politicians the make up of the legislature will by definition be altered.  This alteration can only benefit the people of California.

We have asked you… shamed you… begged you… pleaded with you to not rest simply on your status of being a “gun owner”.  Anyone can be a “gun owner”.  It takes commitment to train to be a responsible gun owner.  Those of you that have taken the next step of being an armed citizen that is prepared to use a firearm as a method of protection need to take that level of commitment further.  You need to train not just to be safe… but to be dangerous.  As a member of the community that bears arms, the enemy must know that your training is constant.  Your metal is hardened.  Your resolve is steadfast.  An attack upon you would be folly, and by extension an attack upon a community where many of you reside would have little chance of success.

Many of you have answered that call… The rest of you now need to head the call of our Framers. Yes, they envisioned the rise of tyranny.  They felt that it was inevitable.  Benjamin Frankly stated quite eloquently to a woman who asked him outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia what had been produced inside “A republic my dear…. if you can keep it.”

It now falls on us to do just that.