The 2nd Amendment is critical to an Americans Freedom, here's why

The 2nd amendment, also called the "Right to Bear Arms", is a complicated and complex right that Americans have. Some Americans choose to exercise this right with the ownership and/or use of firearms, other Americans choose to refrain from such an exercise and still others take an active role in trying to attack/repeal/modify this right.

While it is in everyone's right to choose whether or not they agree with and wish to practice exercising the right to bear arms, to mount any attack on this right is far more dangerous than i think a lot of people realize.

The critical importance to the 2nd Amendment has been argued by many people and in many ways. Often it is said that the right to bear arms is important for "Americans to have the means with which to defend themselves and their property"; others have argued "It is important to hold and bear arms for the reasons of resisting tyranny in our land".

While both of those arguments are true and sound, they are not always convincing for those who disagree with the assumptions those arguments make. That is, to say that you need to bear arms to protect yourself and your property or to defend against tyranny , makes the assumption that there is no other way to accomplish those goals. Some might argue the Police and the Courts are there to protect you and your property and the Military is there to defend our freedoms. Both sides are in a way true.

I have had endless arguments about these points, but it does little to convince those who simply disagree with the basis that these arguments are making. And if those core beliefs are different, the argument will go nowhere.

WHY THE 2nd AMENDMENT IS CRITICAL TO AN AMERICANS FREEDOM:

The 2nd amendment is one of many rights and one of several on the "Bill of Rights". Others being the right to freedom of speech, the rights of the press, the rights to have and hold property against unlawful search/seizure ect.

The real importance in defending the 2nd amendment, and any other of the amendments is that to make a claim that there are other means to accomplish the goals those rights are designed to give us, is to say that ANY of those rights can and should be left up to the same interpretation.

The truth is, the purpose of the 2nd amendment is not so simple as defending property, or defending against tyranny. It is those things and more. The purpose of the 2nd amendment, and all of the Bill of Rights, is to provide freedom and control over your life and your destiny.

The say things like "The 2nd amendment is outdated, a relic of a time when guns were needed to defend yourself" means that someone else might make the argument that "The 1st amendment is outdated, a relic of a time when free speech was critical to expressing yourself". Or "The 4th amendment is outdated, a relic of a time when the people had a reason to have personal possessions". Attacking the fundamental philosophy of the rights is a dangerous Pandora's box.

Often times, especially in very Liberal States, the majority form the opinion that the 2nd amendment is either dangerous or outdated, and they make efforts to enact laws stripping it's power. Even if you don't exercise the right to bear arms, the attack on your rights is there, and it should be opposed.

Let's imagine for a moment, that in some random state, a majority of it's people all of a sudden decided that the 13th amendment was no longer something those people wanted. So they repealed it. They made the argument that it was outdated, or no longer applied to them. For those who don't know, the 13th amendment is the abolishing of slavery. This does not even need to be a Race issue, as slaves can be of any race, sex, religion. Who could agree that just because the majority choose to have slaves, that slavery should ever be accepted? Even if 99% of the world wanted slaves, i would still disagree, because it's very nature is to strip freedom, not grant it.

Making laws that take away freedom, or repealing laws that grant freedom, is a very slippery slope. The argument that the 2nd amendment, can become outdated, means that ANY of the other rights can also become outdated. Regardless of what you personally believe regarding each individual right, the truth is, others believe differently.

One might argue the 2nd amendment isn't important but the 1st is, another might say the 4th doesn't matter but the 1st does. But those beliefs are wrong because they all matter. You have these rights, they are your freedom, and you should never give them away or seek to take them from others.

In the end, if anyone seeks to strip the 2nd amendment of it's god giving rights, is simply someone who does not understand the value of freedom. They don't want it for others, they don't want it for themselves. There is hardly a difference between someone who wants to take away our right to bear arms and someone who wants to take away our right to breath air. The end result is only loss, nothing is gained for society or freedom.

And someone will come in from another country to say, "oh Americans and their guns." with some nonsense from their world perspective. Expecting us to agree with out taking in our own Culture while doing it.

Guns in the hands of the citizens is the very reason we are not British colonies. Guns since than are an engrained cultural phenomenon.

Guns exist in America for one purpose and one purpose only, and thats the day the government trys to take them from us.

The founding fathers where flawed men, but in this they where right.

reply to post by benrl


I once called into a radio show where the host made the argument

"Guns are only needed on battlefields far away from the home land, and no one in their right mind would believe that we would ever need them to defend against our own government!!"

I had to laugh and i called in to say....

"Correct me if i'm wrong, but wasn't this country founded by men who used guns to defend against their own government??"

Some people........

you speak truth.

most Americans these days thing the second amendment was about hunting....

Bravo OP! You most definitely understand the intimacies of a Constitutional Republic and I applaud that.

The climate of the debate has sparked to untold heights as of late.

Written before the most recent talk of Gun Control, i feel this matters more now than it did when i wrote it.