I don’t believe in playing other people’s rules when the rules are rigid. The gun culture that has been created and embraced by the GOP and the NRA is a phony culture. It is neither American nor is it of any American historical culture.
It was not the Colt .45 or the handgun that tamed the Wild West where handguns were used to murder, kill, or otherwise commit crimes.
No it was the farmers and their families that tamed the West. The farmers were not armed with handguns. Nope, they came to the Wild West with their shotguns. Anyone who has used a shotgun knows that they can kill anyone with a Colt .45 or any other handgun long before the handgun can get into their accuracy range. When you can kill someone at range without being harmed the handguns carriers soon stop carrying or using handguns. That is what allowed the farmers’ families and townsfolk to walk their streets in peace.
Americans don’t believe in guns or the ownership of guns as part of being an American. This is a Hollywood movie genre that has corrupted what it is to be an American. Something that the business lobbyists known as the NRA has grabbed onto and used to sell more guns and ammunition by pushing fear.
Fear is not part of America. It is a tool of the NRA and GOP. Fear is used to a weapon to terrorize Americans into believing everyone needs guns, and more guns because GOP and NRA have armed the criminals with assault weapons.
It is about the GOP embracing guns as a means to stay in power. With control of the political structure at the local, state, and federal levels comes power, corruption, and money. Lots of money that enrich them and deprive other Americans of a happy life, that is the pursuit of happiness as encoded into our founding documents. The Declaration of Independence (1776) put forth these values that will forever be in the heart of not just Americans but all mankind:
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.
What do we Americans believe?
We believe that as Americans we that as Americans we have the right to be secure in our homes. We have the right to walk our streets in safety. Our children have the right to live their lives without fear of being murdered.
How The Supreme Court Gave The NRA A Big Helping Hand
Emboldened by a seminal U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that upstanding Americans have the fundamental right to keep guns in their homes, the NRA has involved itself in hundreds of legal cases, many in California.
Much of it is either started by the NRA or supported by the organization, which offers financial assistance and legal help to people embroiled in lawsuits and legal trouble because they own guns.
What did our Founding Fathers believe? Perhaps it is time to tear the GOP and NRA lies apart with the Founding Fathers own documents that formed our first government. The Articles of Confederation (1777) were their first attempt to establish a government, that of “The United States of America.” In that document they document what is their belief of militia or gun rights. Later, when these Articles of Federation failed they used the weaknesses to create the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution was amended to include the Bill of Rights before it would be ratified into being. Our Founding Fathers based the Second Amendment on what they knew was in the Articles of Confederation for a “well regulated and disciplined militia.”
Our Founding Fathers did not dream these principles in a vacuum or out of some ideology for loving guns. No, in 1777 we were at war with the British to win our freedom declared in 1776.
Articles of Confederation (1777)
To all to whom these Presents shall come, we, the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting. Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of Newhampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhodeisland and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia in the Words following, viz. “Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of Newhampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhodeisland and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Article I. The Stile of this confederacy shall be, “The United States of America.”
Article V.
No vessels of war shall be kept up in time of peace, by any state, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the united states, in congress assembled, for the defence of such state, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up, by any state, in time of peace, except such number only as, in the judgment of the united states, in congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defence of such state; but every state shall always keep up a well regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accounted, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of field pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition, and camp equipage.
While the Articles of Confederation was the governing documents for colonies there were several armed rebellions: Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783; Shays' Rebellion, August 29, 1786; Doctors Mob Riot, 1788.
The stage was set for inclusion of “well regulated and disciplined militia” in defense of the state or government from armed rebellions was foremost in their minds. The Second Amendment was about protecting the government or state. It was not about protecting the rights of the individuals to bear arms. Those rights are a fabrication of the GOP and NRA. Our Founding Fathers expected governments of the people, for the people, to regulate the bearing of arms.
So what does the Bill of Rights really state? Here is “The Bill of Rights" from our national archives:
The Preamble to The Bill of Rights
Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.
ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
It was not American workers on strike for wages and benefits that were armed and committing murder. It was the Corporations that feel free to kill and murder their workers for wanting better lives for themselves and their families.
Americans did not to be able to protect themselves from one and other. No, they needed to be protected from corporate America and their thugs.
Those same corporate thugs are now the ones lying to Americans on every issue. They steal your wages, if you have any. They steal your retirement. They steal your health. They steal children’s futures. They steal children’s educations. They steal everything could ever want for your family now and in the future.
They tell you they are defending your right to bear arms, when they are only interested in protecting their right to sell guns and ammunition. Corporations, NRA, and the GOP don’t care about you or your family.
Every murdered child is blood on the hands of the GOP.
Every murdered child is blood on the hands of the NRA.
Every mother who morrows a death from a gunshot know the GOP chose not to stop the murders.
Every father who morrows a death from a gunshot know the GOP chose not to stop the murders.
Every child who morrows a death from a gunshot know the GOP chose not to stop the murders.
They steal every right and freedom you are giving in the U.S. Constitution.
They reach into your pockets and steal every dollar you have in it.
How do they do this?
Corporations lie and create false facts at every opportunity they have. They empower their corrupt and bribed politicians with wealth stolen from ever American. Corporations are still permitted to steal retirement funds. Corporations are still permitted to destroy successful businesses just so they can steal all the assets before declaring bankruptcy, including those retirement funds.
The GOP and corporations lie to Americans to sucker them to vote against their own interests and empower the corrupt upper class and corporations. The corporations are the upper class now and always has been.
The GOP shifts the tax burden from the wealthy and corporations on the backs of every other American.
The corporations, NRA, and the GOP create false culture values. They push fear and terrorize Americans into believing everyone who is against those views are enemies of Americans.
The real enemies of Americans are corporations, NRA, and the GOP.
Everyone who has felt the pain of needless death from denied healthcare, murdered by a gunshot, the hopelessness of loosing a job, the hopelessness of watching all of our jobs going to China, Korea, Japan, or some other nation, the failure of our government at every level to function and tend to needs of Americans;
We all know the true enemy. And it is not us.