Posted on 11/05/2005 9:05:47 AM PST by cougar_mccxxi
Unlike most of the world's people, many Americans view the possession of firearms as the norm rather than the exception. The European and Japanese feudal aristocracies loathed firearms, because they eliminated the role of the nobility in combat. Firearms democratized warfare, penetrated armor, and allowed fighting from a distance, thereby greatly reducing the importance of the nobility's old skills with swords in close combat. In Japan and much of Europe, the aristocracy promoted laws restricting or prohibiting the possession of firearms, especially handguns, by common people.
In continental Europe and England, hunting was tightly controlled by the aristocracy. Common people were often forbidden even to kill a rabbit that was eating their crops on their own land. No sane governor or legislature in the American colonies would have attempted to impose European-style hunting or gun-control laws, for such repressive laws would have made it impossible for much of the American population to survive.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldandi.com ...
This was a very good read.
The founding fathers were very wise in many respects and the Bill of Rights reflected very wise concerns of the people. The Second Amendment was the vision of what could come -- A TYRANNICAL, OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT was a risk and the people of America still have the right to bear arms for that purpose.
Now, how did the Founding Fathers ever know about the Clintons???
--Dave Kopel is great on firearms-and he's pretty good on many other political issues, also--
Our right to keep and bear arms is the ultimate expression of our sense of equality. It is the ideal made real.
The prospect of tyranny may not grab the headlines the way vivid stories of gun crime routinely do. But few saw the Third Reich coming until it was too late. The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed — where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once.
JUDGE ALEX KOZINSKI
Look at France. If that happened here, what good would a golf club or baseball bat do?????
Nothing. If you are a woman, you need to be armed and ready to pull the trigger.
An interesting (and true) picture of our culture and its roots: reliance on the individual, not on the government. (Well, except in New Orleans.) Also, interesting that our Constitution was written to allow for overthrow of the government.
Excellent article!
Firearms democratized warfare
Elites want all the power, always.
It's interesting that the Iraqis seem to have the same facination.
What you trying to say hoss...?
Perhaps that the Iraqis stand a fair chance of being able to keep their freedom.
"Such preparations for civil defense are appalling to American gun-prohibition advocates and their international allies. At both the personal and the national level, Americans tend to expect to protect themselves by force, and Europeans tend to expect a superior entity to do it for them. "
Ever talk to anybody that come up during WW II in France? The Germans came in and told everyone to turn in their guns. People gave them their old broken, taped stock guns and hid their good ones in barns. First time a few Germans got drunk and abusive to women in a bar; and got shot by owner. Germans came back and shot up entire place, killed a bunch, and nobody shot no more Germans.
Now I have enough ammo and guns too, but I really don't think Americans today are anymore ready to die for freedom than those Frenchies. WE live near an Indian village along the yukon. The Natives don't pay attention to any laws from canada or america. They ignore and do what they have been doing for centuries. Ya know what, the govt lets them be too cause they dont want problems and the indians stand up to the govt. I dont see many white people standing up to our loss of rights and slide towards socialism; and govt aint even shooting people to get them to walk the line. Just imagine if a foriegn power came in, or from within; Do you really think Americans would put their family & possessions on the line?
The 2d amendment has nothing to do with hunting, or even with home protection. It has everything to do with the use of arms against a tyrannical government, should that become necessary. It also has to do with providing civil protection, if for some reason the government fails to do so.
I have the distinct impression that twenty armed homeowners and shopkeepers could have ended this Muslim hossheep in a Paris "suburb" very quickly.
I went to the range the other day and noticed most shooters were women...
Do you mean kind of like the Resistance movement in Europe in WWII?
You bet your sweet a$$ they will. I must rule out the left PC weinies though.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the Minuteman statues in both Lexington and Concord portray an American holding a gun.
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