Playing Defense

Rocky Barker urges us to move beyond guns and the gun control debate: (Sure. When the anti-gun left and the Brady Campaign people stop pushing government controls and Congress gives us on re-instituting the “Assault Weapons” Ban for good.)

At the end of the piece, he writes:

I have never seen the debate as “I will need to have a gun to protect democracy.” By the time the United States gets to a place in the modern world where we need to own guns to protect our rights I have always thought it would be too late.

Actually, Mr. Barker misses the point. Because of our 2nd Amendment rights and more than 80 million gun owners, we are far less likely to see the day when it’s necessary to have a gun to defend Democracy. Wannabe tyrants know that they’ll have to contend with 80 million gun owners. Those who wants to invade our country and terrorize our people know it, too. Is it any coincidence that when terrorists struck they did so on Gun free airplanes?

The second Amendment is much like the “Peace Through Strength” foreign policy. It prevents usurpations and foreign incursions by guaranteeing that except in certain areas, you wouldn’t bet your life on there not being an armed person nearby.