Courage and Guns

[atxgun]

http://www.lewrockwell.com/gaddy/gaddy40.html

by Michael Gaddy

"One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms."

~ Constitutional scholar and Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story


I was somewhat surprised in the email responses to my article here at the number of inquiries from would be first-time gun purchasers asking for advice on firearm selection, training and concealed carry permits. Obviously there are many in the freedom crowd out there who has yet to arm themselves.

I believe that many first-time gun buyers have a tendency to put the cart before the horse. Many long-time gun owners fit in the same category. Before one purchases a firearm for defense of life and property, it is imperative they realize one must first possess the courage to use this tool of liberty, up to and including deadly force. The firearm should never be the source of that courage. An inanimate object is a poor substitute for character.

True courage is in short supply in this nation’s gun culture. Supposed strong advocates of the Second Amendment routinely vote for politicians with anti-gun voting records because they are members of their chosen political party.

Authors of books on the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms routinely vote for the same anti-gun politicians. One in particular emailed me that he could not support Ron Paul in the 2008 election because he was "unelectable." This author then spoke of having to "hold his nose" when he voted for John McCain. Great courage, this one!

The majority of gun magazines routinely carry many more articles on firearms for "military and police" than they do for Joe Citizen. An editor for one of these magazines chastised me in an email for having the audacity to suggest his publication support Ron Paul for president because he too saw him as "unelectable." He opined that those who would vote for Ron Paul were actually helping the greater of two evils get elected. When I asked him whom he would vote for if his choices were Stalin or Hitler, he replied that it would never come to that in America. I promptly cancelled my subscription to his magazine. Cowardice and ignorance in the same package is hard to support.

Then there are those bastions of liberty in the pro-gun crowd who question why anyone would want to own an AK-47 or any other of those dastardly assault weapons. They contend there is no "legitimate" reason to own one. Let me make this as simple as I can: I own a legal AK-47 and several other assault weapons so I can assault the tyrant who seeks to deprive me of my rights granted by my creator, or any other criminal who attempts to take that which is mine, or harm me and those I love. Simple enough?

From past experience I know I am going to catch a lot of flak for my opinion of concealed carry laws, because I believe them to be another form of registration. Gun owners who claim they are totally against "registration" of firearms have no problem in registering themselves as gun owners. Most egregious is their paying the state to bestow on them the rights they already possess as free men.

If the true purpose of the Second Amendment is to provide the means to resist a tyrannical government, where is the logic in begging and paying that same government to allow us to possess the weapons to protect ourselves from their tyrannical pursuits? Groveling at the feet of tyrants is no reflection of courage.

Not only do concealed carry permit holders place themselves in a database available to all bureaucrats whose goal is to disarm everyone, they place themselves in the database of all law enforcement agencies. How convenient it must be for the cop who runs your drivers or vehicle license number to immediately know you are armed, what you drive, where you live, and in some cases, what type firearm you have.

Next on my list of things to anger the average gun guy is my total disdain for the organization that presents itself as the true champion of the right to keep and bear arms: the NRA, better known as the National Republican Association – Oops, sorry, National Rifle Association. Author and American Patriot L. Neil Smith, eloquently states his reasons for not trusting the NRA here.

If you are a potential owner of a new firearm, or possess several, please reexamine your commitment to liberty or give your weapons to a true patriot now rather than the tyrant when he comes for them.

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who comes near that precious jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. When you give up that force, you are ruined.

~ Patrick Henry

[bdickens]

That article is about useless. Not to mention tinfoil hat material.

[atxgun]

So I guess the objectors to the content of the article will fully support the HR 45 bill that's been floating around this board today? Unless you have a tinfoil hat you should have no objection to getting a federal license, right?

[bdickens]

Who he heck is Michael Gaddy and who appointed him the arbiter of true patrioism? Who made it his purview to decide who is a real gun owner or not?

Even fudds have the right to defend themselves.

So I'm not a real patriot - not a real gun owner unless I break the law? Or should I just not carry at all? I'm not sure I understand Gaddy's point. I do know he's a hypoctite, though. Just prior to expressing his distaste for concealed carry laws as "another form of registration," he mentions his "legal AK-47 and several other assault weapons." If they are legal, he is already in Big Brother's database of gun owners. Or are they "legal" only in some strict constructionist fantasyland - the same one where the income tax is Unconstitutional?

So, because I don't have the same style of tinfoil beanie as Gaddy, I support HR45? I doubt the National Republican Association, as he so eloquently misnames the NRA, does either. Get off your high horse, buddy.

This guy apparently styles himself as a Libertarian. I suppose you do too. Bunk. Libertarians allow other people to have dissenting opinions without denigrating them as cowards and ignoramuses.

Quite frankly, to adaquately express my contempt for Gaddy's diatribe would require me to break the forum rules. This tripe is just the kind of ammo the anti's need to brand gun owners of all stripes as a bunch of crazys.

[atxgun]

Who he heck is Michael Gaddy

He's just a frequent contributer to lew rockwell. And if you're unfamiliar, yes, it is a very libertarian blog.

I do know he's a hypoctite, though. Just prior to expressing his distaste for concealed carry laws as "another form of registration," he mentions his "legal AK-47 and several other assault weapons." If they are legal, he is already in Big Brother's database of gun owners. Or are they "legal" only in some strict constructionist fantasyland - the same one where the income tax is Unconstitutional?

I don't see holding opposing opinions about laws while continuing to follow them as being a hypocrite. There are many things I oppose from a legislative point of view but that does not mean I break them. I rather take actions to try and change the laws to better suite my point of view.

[Liberty]

I guess I don't understand what is it he is saying that is so out of line.
The selecting of John McCain as a candidate was terrible for any gun owner. Was terrible for America. I'm sure that Obama celebrated the fateful day this stand for nothing senator locked up the nomination.

I assume he is talking about the semi-automatic clones of the AK47 ... Lots of people own them and from and believe that that their eventual use against a tyrannical government, Our forefathers had enough military grade weapons in their homes to give them a chance against invading British, Mexican Yankee, or Confederate Armys. Today there are still documented reports of the Mexican military units infiltrating our borders to commit mayhem. He presents a loose arguement that we should have suitable arms to at least match those of potential invading Armys. even internal ones. There are known terroristic cells and secretive militias working in the shadows of our society.

His third point was that the laws we have such as our concealed handgun laws are restrictive and need to go away. We should be allowed to to carry open concealed without restrictive lisences and permision from our government. Most gun owners would agree with that.

Yeah he picked on the NRA. Lets face it the NRA does have problems with being agressive towards protecting our RKBA, ..
He seems to suggest that gun owners don't do enough to protect their rights. I understand his point. The less than 10% of gun owners are NRA members. The Students for campus carry can't get people to buy an $8.00 handbook for their state legislators and senators.

None of his ideas seem all that extreme and most of us could buy into his ideas. His problem though is that he is he states his ideas in an inflammatory way, and puts us all on the defensive, by outright calling us cowards. Just because he is offensive doesn't make the points he his attempting to make incorrect.

I really think one of the big problems we have in America is getting past personal perceptions to understand what the real values and principles people are trying to get across. Obama is young alive and an exciting speaker. lets make him president.. While I Keep hearing that Dick Cheney is Darth Vader bent on the leading Republicans into the destruction of the planet earth so that he can rule from the halls of Halliberton for the next hundred years. We need to understand the message and pay less attention to the man behind the curtain.

[Lodge2004]

I really think one of the big problems we have in America is getting past personal perceptions to understand what the real values and principles people are trying to get across. Obama is young alive and an exciting speaker. lets make him president.. While I Keep hearing that Dick Cheney is Darth Vader bent on the leading Republicans into the destruction of the planet earth so that he can rule from the halls of Halliberton for the next hundred years. We need to understand the message and pay less attention to the man behind the curtain.

Although I agree with the sentiment, I also believe we need to appreciate how people perceive messages if we want the man behind the curtain to be heard. Conservatives tend to focus on facts while liberals focus on feelings. We should adopt some of their methods.

I know people who will swear the "facts" are all that count and how they are delivered is irrelevant. Unfortunately, most of the population doesn't operate that way. What you say, in many cases, is less important than how you say it.

[Liberty]

I really think one of the big problems we have in America is getting past personal perceptions to understand what the real values and principles people are trying to get across. Obama is young alive and an exciting speaker. lets make him president.. While I Keep hearing that Dick Cheney is Darth Vader bent on the leading Republicans into the destruction of the planet earth so that he can rule from the halls of Halliberton for the next hundred years. We need to understand the message and pay less attention to the man behind the curtain.

Although I agree with the sentiment, I also believe we need to appreciate how people perceive messages if we want the man behind the curtain to be heard. Conservatives tend to focus on facts while liberals focus on feelings. We should adopt some of their methods.

I know people who will swear the "facts" are all that count and how they are delivered is irrelevant. Unfortunately, most of the population doesn't operate that way. What you say, in many cases, is less important than how you say it.

Well stated. Insulting folks is not the way to get understood and change opinions.

[bdickens]

I guess I don't understand what is it he is saying that is so out of line.

How about starting at the end:

Gaddy:
If you are a potential owner of a new firearm, or possess several, please reexamine your commitment to liberty or give your weapons to a true patriot now rather than the tyrant when he comes for them.

Maybe next this guy can get to decide who gets to write articles for publication.


And then backing up a bit we find:

Gaddy:
Not only do concealed carry permit holders place themselves in a database available to all bureaucrats whose goal is to disarm everyone, they place themselves in the database of all law enforcement agencies. How convenient it must be for the cop who runs your drivers or vehicle license number to immediately know you are armed, what you drive, where you live, and in some cases, what type firearm you have.

The first clause is an outright lie here in Texas, as anyone who is familliar with Texas law knows. The rest is just alarmist nonsense. The cop would have to be a brain-dead moron to not know what kind of car you drive (duh, it's right there in front of him, with you in it) and where you live (duh, it's printed right there on your driver's licence he's holding in his hand).

Further on up we finally find this:

Gaddy:
An editor for one of these magazines chastised me in an email for having the audacity to suggest his publication support Ron Paul for president because he too saw him as "unelectable." He opined that those who would vote for Ron Paul were actually helping the greater of two evils get elected. When I asked him whom he would vote for if his choices were Stalin or Hitler, he replied that it would never come to that in America. I promptly cancelled my subscription to his magazine. Cowardice and ignorance in the same package is hard to support.

How enlightened. Everyone who doesn't agree with me is a coward and an ignoramus. Isn't this guy Gaddy tolerant? I hope I can be just like him when I grow up.