Well, we call this the Sacred Cow Wursthaus for a reason, and that reason will be apparent in this blog post.
One of the primary reasons the NRA is so adamant about protecting 2nd Amendment gun rights is so that citizens can protect themselves against government oppression. Often quoted is this bit from Thomas Jefferson:
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure."
And again, just as frequently, is this quote attributed to George Washington:
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
Except that's not actually what Washington said. Snopes exposed that particular lie. Read about it here. But it is certainly true that this is one of the founding fathers' arguments. There are plenty of other legitimate quotes that prove this. And so, it has become one of the NRA's central themes; that people need to be armed in order to prevent the government from oppressing them.
Well, that's what the NRA argues. And guess what? Some black men got some sniper rifles and acted on exactly that principle last night.
Angered that black men are continually shot and killed by white cops, some black men actively declared a race war and shot at white police officers last night. 12 officers were shot. 5 officers were killed. And those numbers may shift as news reports continue to come in. It is, CNN reports, the deadliest day for police officers since 9/11. And the irony that this took place near the JFK Memorial Plaza is lost on no one.
I'm willing to bet this is not what the NRA had in mind.
And yet who can argue with the fact that the government is oppressing black people, especially young black men? These snipers did exactly what the NRA, and the founding fathers, told them they should do.
Maybe we should re-think this entire 2nd amendment thing.
Let's be honest with ourselves: When the NRA argues that gun ownership is necessary to protect their rights from being infringed upon by the government, what they really mean is the protection of white rights. Black men with legitimate concealed carry permits are not really factored in by most NRA members. And such racism goes beyond wanting to prevent someone named Achmed from getting a weapon. The biggest gun restrictions against assault rifles came when the government saw the Black Panthers arming themselves with such weapons.
And what do white NRA members do with their weapons when gerrymandering robs their votes by the billions? What do they do when Bush's Patriot Act robs their right to privacy and allows the government to wire-tap them at will? What do they do when they get stuck with Donald Trump when 60% of them voted for someone else in the primary? What do they do when their fellow Americans are shut out of the democratic process by the restricting of polling stations and requiring ID's while obtain such ID cards becomes deliberately more difficult?
They sit on their goddamned asses!
Look, I'm not defending what these snipers have done. It was evil, and we all see that. But at least they practiced what the NRA preaches!
What, in Zeus' name, is the excuse of the white privileged NRA crowd?
Let me come back down to earth, here. I believe in defensive weapons. It's a real debate what constitutes 'defensive' vs. 'offensive,' but we have that right. So I'm not going to outright say what I am tempted to say, which is that assault rifle owners who are not willing to march on their state and federal capitals with gun in hand when something like the Patriot Act passes, or gerrymandering robs people's votes, should simply hand their guns back now, because they don't deserve them. But I AM going to say that if the whole point of gun ownership is to protect innocent people from oppression, can't we at least do that much?
I mean, what did these guys think they were doing, shooting a bunch of innocent cops as if that would solve anything? If they were so willing to do a coordinated attack for vigilante justice, couldn't they have gone to Baton Rouge and shot the officers in question there? Or gone to Minnesota and targeted that guy? I'm not saying that's right either, but if you're going to break the law to do vigilante justice, at least do it right! Don't drag more innocent lives down with you!
Who did you think you were, Charles Manson trying to ignite Helter Skelter?
Maybe the famous science fiction author, Robert Heinlein, summed up the opinion best:
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."
Well, Bob, in a perfect world, that would be the case. But this isn't a perfect world. And maybe the reason we should outlaw certain guns is because society is just too damned immature to be polite about them. And all the politeness in the world won't keep you from getting shot if the other guy is trigger-happy, or just plain crazy.
Let's re-think the 2nd Amendment. Legalize defensive weapons only. Technology has changed the entire warfare landscape. It's time we changed with it.
How much do you want to bet someone is going to suggest the outlawing of sniper rifles?
Eric
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