The National Populist

THE 2ND AMENDMENT - THE RIGHT TO MAINTAIN OUR LIBERTY

One would think that, being a cornerstone of our nation’s founding, the Second Amendment would be to at least some extent respected and revered by all Americans. But, as our country generally begins to question its history, culture, and founding, the 2A along with those principles is facing increasingly far-reaching attacks from the left. While many on the right still understand its purpose, leftists frame it as capricious and subject to the time it was written, but not of the modern day. They claim that citizens need not worry about their own defense, for in their view the government should be the ultimate provider. America was built on the idea that a man may provide for himself in a society of others like him with a strong cultural foundation. The 2nd Amendment enshrines both this spirit and a defense against tyranny over the people, and that is why it must be protected.

President Joe Biden’s position on gun control and the right to bear arms in general reflects the continued expansion of power of the federal government over American citizens. It represents the view that a neoliberal power structure should be global and wield full authority over the population, the view that the ruling elite are better than and ought to look after the common people. While the President and others in positions of power have armed guards and guaranteed safety at all times, you, the average American, should not be able to protect yourself and your family from harm and tyranny. The President has called gun violence an “epidemic,” vowing to take action to put limits on guns. While some weak legislation and executive action may take place, the Biden era by itself won’t have a major effect on the ability of Americans to access firearms. The problem lies in the long-term implications of losing touch with the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. Even if Biden himself doesn’t come for your guns, those like him will build upon what past Administrations have accomplished in chipping away the purpose and extensiveness of the 2A.

This elitist and selfish view of firearms by the government and people in power is not only wrong, but contradictory to the other narratives the same politicians push. If we subscribe to the narrative that the police are systemically racist and wield their oppressive power to slaughter and incarcerate innocent minorities, why should they be the only ones with the guns? While both of these narratives are false and destructive, it is worth noting that they are both propagated by the same misleading and power hungry politicians.

In order to prevent the slow death of our right to bear arms, it is necessary to change how the 2nd Amendment is viewed and practiced by the population overall. Many conservatives live out the amendment by owning firearms, but urbanization and some social trends threaten the lifestyle that fits best with American self-reliance. To best protect the 2A, we must advocate for it and the American way of life as well. Advocating against infringement against it by the government as well as advocating in support of self-reliant lifestyles and American tradition together will ensure that our society does not become increasingly weakened and reliant upon bureaucracy.

The idea that gun control will greatly reduce gun violence is very misguided and not supported by data. According to a study by the University of Pittsburgh, lawful gun owners commit less than one fifth of crimes. It is not the criminals that these laws will hurt, as they already don’t follow the law, but the average American trying to protect himself, his family, and his nation’s freedom. These laws are not made out of compassion or concern, but to further the power and control of the bureaucratic elites. To see whether an “assault weapon” ban would work, we need look no further than the assault weapon ban of 1994. A 2019 DiMaggio study found that the ban was associated with a 0.1% reduction in total firearm homicide, which hardly seems worth throwing constitutional rights away for. Programs designed to reduce the number of guns in circulation are also very inefficient. A national buyback program in Argentina only collected around 7% of the nation’s guns. As we’ve seen countless times, such as with Stephen Willeford in a Texas church shooting, the way to best protect our people is to arm law abiding, good-hearted citizens.

Many of the Founding Fathers knew that true liberty and freedom of the people could be short-lived. Thomas Jefferson once said that “Every generation needs a new revolution,” implying that society naturally weakens after having achieved its revolutionary goals. To keep America great and to keep its ideals sacred, we must live in constant reverence of our founding ideals. Many today feel that we are now in some liberated utopia immune to tyranny, a very dangerous idea to believe in if we are to stay free. As Ronald Reagan put it, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”