“Do you ever feel as if you are living in a constant state of “I can’t believe this but I’m not really surprised”? I know I do. The state is that of what I like to call “disbelief certainty.” This past week we received another dose of it from the White House in the form of an executive order aimed squarely at the all-important 2nd Amendment. Again, I knew this was coming, maybe just wasn’t expecting it so soon. This time though, the disbelief I am encountering is stemming from the Constitution, the so-called law of the land being infringed upon, even when it clearly states that it is not to be infringed upon. Many are asking though, “what’s the big deal?”
To begin with, perhaps it is important to lay out the intent of the 2nd Amendment. A large part of our population seems to think that it is there for citizens to protect themselves from criminals such as people breaking into your home or attempting a carjacking. Although, this is an important liberty that we have as Americans, the right to protect ourselves, the 2nd Amendment is much bigger than that. Our Founders had lived through and seen what a tyrannical, power hungry government looked like and for those that can’t stand up to government overreach, there is no recourse but to comply. Our Founders understood that power corrupts and that the people need to be able to defend themselves and to overturn a tyrannical government if necessary, so they drafted the 2nd Amendment with the verbiage “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Fairly obvious it is, that the rights in the 2nd Amendment are now being infringed upon.
History tends to repeat itself for anybody that has remotely studied it, yet here we are again. How many tyrannical governments have fed the masses the promise of protection, if only they gave their trust in the government to do so? How many times has the government been a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Ask yourself, can we trust our own government now? Do they have our best intentions in their hearts? Are they really a government of the people, by the people, for the people? Put your political identity aside and be honest with yourself! The answer to me is not only a “no” but a “hell no!” What has history taught you? Giving up your freedom for the promise of protection or safety is a recipe for disaster and always has been. I’d hope that we as Americans would have the self-pride to want to be able to look after ourselves and take responsibility for our own lives as long as we aren’t infringing upon others. We are a country founded by the self-reliant are we not? So what’s the deal?
The Biden administration has formulated an executive order aimed at taking away some of your measly freedoms as it relates to firearms in an effort to combat gun violence…is that so bad? This is being sold as a way to get folks behind some new gun control initiatives we can cast aside as minor infringements. Unfortunately, this is more incrementalism at work and the government knows it works. If the government decided that they wanted to come after everyone’s guns all at once, there would certainly be a major conflict with massive blowback. However, if incrementally, they infringe on the right to own and bear arms, right in the face of the law of the land, they will train the population to comply with the eventual goal of ultimate power over a defenseless population. This again, is just like the frog in the pot analogy; if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out, but if you place a frog in a pot of cool water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog will eventually boil to death. The Biden administration just turned up the heat ever so slightly. This power grab is coming not even four months into this new administration and as we know, once freedoms are taken away, they are seldom ever returned. We as Americans, as Libertarians, understand this and resolve to denounce this illegal executive order so that we can live free and in liberty.”
Written By: An Anonymous Libertarian Party Member
Posted By: Amanda Billings
