As You Were

Devin Coughlin's blog.
Styles: Serious Spare

February 26, 2005

The Gun Fetish

Given that armed insurrection against a government possessing satellites, fighter planes, tanks, and long-range artillery (not to mention nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) is likely to fail, I don't really get why the right wing is so hung up on the right to bear arms.

Busty Woman with Gun

After all, in terms of importance, the right to own a gun ranks somewhere between the right to install a fire alarm in your house and the right to own a tennis racket. Maintaining these rights is important of course (could you imagine if the government outlawed tennis rackets?), but it seems to me that there are better ways to spend your time.

Surely it makes more sense to fight for the weapons that have been effective: freedom of speech, a free and functioning press, governmental transparancy, free and fair elections, checks and balances, a well-educated populace, etc.

Really, if you're in a position where you have to fight the U.S. government with guns, you've already lost — the only effective strategy would be to terrorize innocent civilians. Do the gun nuts believe we need a right to terrorism, too?

Posted by coughlin at 12:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I agree with your thoughts about the 2nd Amendment — the claim that it is a bulwark against government-sponsored domestic military action is laughable. Does anyone really think they are going to down a fighter-bomber with their pistol?

If a person claims they need a gun for self-defense, fine, but don't pretend that it is going to stop The Guv'mnt from imposing martial law (which I think this administration would favor if there were another major attack).

Posted by: Daniel J. Wilson at February 26, 2005 6:16 PM