-Caveat Lector-
At the risk of being massively flamed, I am compelled by a sense of
intellectual honesty to propose that the time has come to repeal the Second
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
What is at issue is not some supposed innate right to keep and bear arms. What
is at issue is the culture of violence that puts firearms on a pedestal and
worships them. What is at issue is the culture of violence that insists on
"getting even" instead of resolving conflicts. Two hundred years ago, it might
have been possible to defend yourself against an oppressive government by
shooting the excise agent. But that just isn't possible today--nor is it
desirable. The world is too complex a place today, and the weapons at the
government's disposal too powerful, for so simplistic a solution to work.
You have no more right to keep and bear arms than you have to own and operate
an automobile. All property "rights" are contingent on the permission of the
state; the state grants such rights, and the state can take away those rights
if circumstances warrant. I submit that the time has come when we, as a
society, can no longer afford to permit individuals to own and use firearms.
Further, I submit that firearms manufacturers are primarily responsible for
the *illegal* sale of firearms, and should therefore be subjected to stringent
governmental regulation and limited to production of firearms for the armed
services of the United States.
If the gun lobby insists on labeling this proposal as a conspiracy to
undermine citizens' "rights," I will respond by suggesting that the gun lobby
itself is part of an elaborate conspiracy to undermine the lawful authority of
the United States government, substituting the rule of force for the rule of
law. Surely, if a secret supranational organization such as the Illuminati
really exists, whose objective is to submerge all national identities in a
global culture, eliminating national governments in favor of a strengthened
United Nations, then they would choose to work *not* through the Federal
government...but through organizations and individuals who want to weaken the
U.S. government to the point where it effectively no longer exists. Such a
conspiracy would be much more likely to use a group like the NRA or the
Libertarian Party than the FBI or the BATF as its instrument.
Let me repeat my proposal: the time has come to repeal the Second Amendment to
the United States Constitution. Doing so would demonstrate more clearly than
any other possible action that the people of the United States have genuinely
grown up, that we are now mature enough that we do not need the crutch of
firearms to maintain our self-esteem.
Bob
=================================
Robert F. Tatman
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