Essays From The Master

It has become expected and popular to interpret the basis for the government of the United States of America, which is a republic and not a democracy, in spite of the fact that the constitution is written in plain English. In the time when the USA was founded certain things were taken for granted as being part of life, one of these things was hunting and fishing as a means of providing food. The right to keep or own and bear or carry arms i.e. weapons which implies having the knowledge and skill as well as the awareness to lawfully use them stems from the fact that the founders were making a distinction between the old and the new world. Because hunting and so on were accepted parts of life there would be no need to have a law in place protecting the right to hunt, fish and so forth. Furthermore given the level of education of those writing the founding documents if they had sought a law about hunting and so on they would have written one.

The laws of the old world descending from Rome in many respects set forth the idea that the nobility had the power of life and death over all in that land be they animal, man, woman or child all belonged to the nobility. The founders of the USA sought to negate the law of the old world a part of which was to give each lawful person his own life by stating that all have the right to do so. In the Bill of Rights each state has the right to defend its self via militia which is one right and individuals are stated to have the right to keep and bear arms showing that the second amendment houses not one right but many. Having the power over one’s own life is also authority over one’s other rights i.e. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from which all other rights are derived. The founders knew that only with the power to resist the government could the founders be sure that the government would function as they set it down in law. Having mere weapons is not enough, the people should have arms enough to resist the government if it were to go against the mandates of the constitution that the USA is based on.

I myself do not own firearms though I respect those that do. I use other means to protect myself and what is mine. Laws only hinder the law abiding so to make more weapons laws based on the actions of those that violate the law only limits the ability of those that adhere to the law to defend themselves thus limiting the ability of the law abiding to pursue life, liberty and happiness via the other rights that the responsibility over one’s own life ensures. It is the power of being responsible over one’s own life that is meant to balance the actions of those hired by voters to represent them in the government. If the government is able to limit firearms more than is already done, again only affecting the law abiding but not those that break the law, they will in time come for such weapons as those that I use. It is not in the nature of government to limit its self which is why the founders made each individual a check against the power of the government by ensuring the individuals have the power to resist said government. Firearms are not a right; rather being armed and trained in the use of arms is a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the Constitution and the proper function of the government of this nation as set down by the founders and paid for in blood. One founder is quoted as saying “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” Another is quoted as saying “Give me liberty or give me death.” The cries of “give me liberty” must become I take the responsibility for my liberty and for that I will accept death if need be.