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Armed Citizenry Will Not Be Oppressed (authored by an ACLU member no less)
Richmond Times-Dispatch ^ | 02/07/2008 | David P. Baugh

Posted on 02/07/2008 1:27:13 AM PST by P8riot

Armed Citizenry Will Not Be Oppressed

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

As a liberal, a member of the ACLU of Virginia, and a self-proclaimed student of the Constitution of this nation I was interested John Schuiteman's letter, "Safe Society Demands Tight Gun Regulation."

The writer is correct that tightened gun regulation would probably increase public safety. However, public safety was not the concern of the drafters of the Constitution or the purpose of the Second Amendment.

To exist in a society and interact with others brings two compelling and conflicting pressures to bear: safety and freedom. With more safety there is less freedom. With more freedom there is less safety. Benjamin Franklin noted that in our quest for safety we will threaten freedom: "Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty or security."

The rationale for citizen gun-ownership lies in the right to overthrow one's government. Armed citizens can never be oppressed. Look at Vietnam, under both the French and the Americans. Read what limited headlines we receive from Iraq. If Eastern Europe had the right to keep and bear arms in 1939, the Holocaust might have been different. Anyone familiar with the Warsaw uprising will agree.

[snip]

The Framers feared oppressive governments and oppressive majorities and believed government oppression, or at least creeping restriction, was inevitable. A good government is one that never takes the allegiance of the people for granted. An armed citizenry must be appeased.

The right to keep and bear arms is another American freedom, unique in the world and undervalued by the majority of Americans, guaranteed as our birthright, and as important to true liberty as freedom of religion, the press, and expression. To be a citizen of the United States is to treasure freedom, self-determination, and liberty above all else.

David P. Baugh. Richmond.

(Excerpt) Read more at inrich.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism
KEYWORDS: banglist; castledoctrine; rkba
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Thought I was dreaming when I read this. The author is a member of the ACLU here in Richmond.

Pinch me.

1 posted on 02/07/2008 1:27:21 AM PST by P8riot
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To: P8riot

Amazing...

I bet they kick him out of the ACLU for this.


2 posted on 02/07/2008 1:34:03 AM PST by Ronin (Bushed out!!! Another tragic victim of BDS.)
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To: P8riot
The author is a member of the ACLU here in Richmond.

Well consider your self lucky that the author is a Virginian. Had he been from say Massachusetts you probably would have had a stroke.

3 posted on 02/07/2008 1:36:59 AM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: Pontiac
Well consider your self lucky that the author is a Virginian. Had he been from say Massachusetts you probably would have had a stroke.

Amen to that.

4 posted on 02/07/2008 1:42:21 AM PST by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
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To: P8riot
The writer is correct that tightened gun regulation would probably increase public safety.

This is only thing I disagree with the author on.

The only way increased firearms regulation would increase public safety is if there was total confiscation of all firearms followed by a completely draconian rule of law. Both of which I hope the citizens of our country would never tolerate.

5 posted on 02/07/2008 1:42:22 AM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: P8riot

Wow. I kept waiting for the “but” that never came. This guy must be the black sheep in the ACLU family. Great article.


6 posted on 02/07/2008 1:43:37 AM PST by athelass (Proud Mom of a Sailor and two Marines! McCain is to conservatism as Hillary is to Playboy)
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To: P8riot
When wading in the stink at DU, I’ve often found many disagreements on the RKBA. Millions of Democrats support the shooting sports...some have an IQ high enough to follow the logic of gun control and speak against it.

Here in Illinois, it’s our downstate democrats who are fighting our gun-grabbing Liberal Establishment led by a Mayor, Governor, two Senators, Attorney General and Cook County officials.

7 posted on 02/07/2008 1:56:54 AM PST by endthematrix (He was shouting 'Allah!' but I didn't hear that. It just sounded like a lot of crap to me.)
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To: Pontiac

I’ll go one step beyond Pontiac: there is NO WAY increased gun regulation, or even said draconian confiscation measures, would increase public safety. Case in point: Great Britain today.

TC


8 posted on 02/07/2008 2:04:48 AM PST by Pentagon Leatherneck
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To: endthematrix

Tuirban Durbin is one, who is the other??


9 posted on 02/07/2008 2:13:00 AM PST by Nailbiter
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To: Nailbiter

Barack Hussein “the anointed one” Obama


10 posted on 02/07/2008 2:23:44 AM PST by endthematrix (He was shouting 'Allah!' but I didn't hear that. It just sounded like a lot of crap to me.)
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To: Pentagon Leatherneck
Case in point: Great Britain today.

I guess I should eleaborate a bit on what I meant.

GB does not have the kind of confiscation I was talking about.

What I was referring to was complete confiscation, meaning that door to door searches and confiscation.

After all guns were confiscated the draconian rule of law would be implemented. This means the death penalty, swift and sure for even the most minor infraction of the law. (Break your neighbors window your dead)

If you can not defend yourself and the government will deal out swift justice chances are you will think twice about breaking the law.

Singapore is the only place I can think of that has something close to what I mean.

11 posted on 02/07/2008 2:34:41 AM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: Pontiac
The only way increased firearms regulation would increase public safety is if there was total confiscation of all firearms followed by a completely draconian rule of law.

Only if you accept that being killed by your own government is "safe". For some reason, even if all firearms are confiscated, the government never disarms.

As for me, I don't care if the arm holding the gun that puts a bullet in my brain is wearing a uniform or not.

12 posted on 02/07/2008 2:37:42 AM PST by gridlock (A proud Romney supporter since January 8, 2008)
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To: Pontiac
The only way increased firearms regulation would increase public safety is if there was total confiscation of all firearms followed by a completely draconian rule of law.

A scenario that won't occur in a democracy because politicians who are inclined to ban guns are also inclined to be soft on criminals. Gun bans have had no effect on crime here in Canada and have made things worse in the UK.

13 posted on 02/07/2008 2:59:31 AM PST by Squawk 8888 (Is human activity causing the warming trend on Mars?)
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To: endthematrix

I forgot he was senator, LOL


14 posted on 02/07/2008 3:10:50 AM PST by Nailbiter
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To: endthematrix

I post on a firearms forum and I’m surprised at the number of posters who identify themselves as liberals but stand behind the second. Of course, they wouldn’t be on that forum if they didn’t support RKBA but it’s a little surprising nontheless.


15 posted on 02/07/2008 3:34:29 AM PST by saganite (Lust type what you what in the “tagline” space)
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To: Squawk 8888
Gun bans have had no effect on crime here in Canada and have made things worse in the UK.

Read my Post # 11 Canada and Britain do not have what I am referring to as a Gun Ban.

16 posted on 02/07/2008 4:30:22 AM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: gridlock
As for me, I don't care if the arm holding the gun that puts a bullet in my brain is wearing a uniform or not.

Oh I agree with you.

The whole purpose of my post is to suggest that the only way to have a gun ban have a positive effect on security is to have a Totalitarian society that no American would want to live in.

17 posted on 02/07/2008 4:34:07 AM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
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To: saganite

“I’m surprised at the number of posters who identify themselves as liberals”

Doesn’t surprise me. Libs are more paranoid than most people.


18 posted on 02/07/2008 4:45:36 AM PST by wolfcreek (Powers that be will lie like Clintons and spend like drunken McCains to push their Globalist agenda.)
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To: wolfcreek

Yeah, but Lib paranoia usually manifests itself in calls for ever more government control over actions they don’t approve of, hence my surprise.


19 posted on 02/07/2008 4:50:43 AM PST by saganite (Lust type what you what in the “tagline” space)
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To: saganite

“I post on a firearms forum and I’m surprised at the number of posters who identify themselves as liberals but stand behind the second. Of course, they wouldn’t be on that forum if they didn’t support RKBA but it’s a little surprising nontheless.”

It goes to show you that any clear thinking person understands the framer’s intent, whether they or liberal or conservative.


20 posted on 02/07/2008 5:01:23 AM PST by mr_hammer (...checking the breeze and barking at things that go bump in the night.)
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