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Arming Society
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Arming Societyby Brian Jennings I was having a back-and-forth with one of my good friends recently (I'll call him "Jim"). I have great respect for Jim, not only for his good reasoning ability, but also because philosophically, he is where I was not too long ago. Our conversations are always polite and actually result in learning on both sides. My learning comes mostly from coherently presenting my reasoning process. As those who know me will attest, it's not something I do naturally. Jim had taken note of Jacob Halbrooks' stated goal to purchase at least one firearm per year. An annual firearm purchase, after expressing a political viewpoint based on non-violence, was a little contradictory, in his view. Not bothering to correct him on the whole "initiation of force" point, I set out to lay down my own take on being armed. Most of us are familiar with the Heinlein maxim, "an armed society is a polite society." The concept, sometimes hard to clarify to the uninitiated, is not "a violent society is a polite society" nor even "a potentially violent society is a polite society." Often, it is assumed by the more paranoid in society that if I'm better equipped, my morality goes out the window. As you know, this is simply untrue. There are two mindsets, however, that persist in this fallacious thinking. The first is the one that says, "I don't trust anyone to handle certain tools, including myself." I see little to say about that attitude except that the speaker has daunting emotional concerns. The other mindset says, "I don't trust anyone except myself to handle certain tools." That is a very frightening outlook. Sadly, it is not rare. Anyone who desires elective office or other government work is certainly possessed of this attitude. The subtle meaning of the Heinlein maxim is that there are many people (like the second mindset above) who are armed, and who may very well seek to aggress against the unwary citizen. It is this citizen who has the option either to remain relatively underpowered, or to "level the playing field" as the saying goes. By arming themselves, the populace of a country can keep the balance of power shifted in their favor. And, of course, knowing that most of your fellow countrymen are packin' has a deterrent effect on crime. Thus, I concluded to Jim, Jacob's goal is actually anti-violent. It is an example of how the non-aggression principle tends to prove itself in nature: potential aggression deterred by the tangible threat of retaliation. In fact, it is the best method for reclaiming just a little bit of the power the State has taken from us and wields against us.
I currently own a dandy SIG pistol, a P-229 chambered in .40. I'd like to expand my collection to include at least two handguns, one shotgun, and one military-style rifle. There are at least three reasons to have a growing collection: first, they're just fun as hell. Second, it makes gun manufacturing a profitable enterprise and encourages the gun companies to stay in business. Third, perhaps most importantly, it's that many more firearms available to the citizenry, not boxed up in a warehouse. In case of a national emergency, I can defend myself and also provide the tools for the defense of my neighbors who may have had less foresight. Charlton Heston tells the story of how, during the Los Angeles riots, his gun-hating neighbors came scurrying to his house looking to see if he had any loaners. Which gets me to a curious point: there are an awful lot of libertarians out there who don't own a single firearm! When I realized this, I thought back to how long it actually took me to go out and get one. It wasn't so much reluctance; it was a lack of familiarity combined with an absence of urgency. Arming yourself is perhaps the single best thing you can do as a freedom-lover. It's something the State doesn't want you to do. It allows you to take back a little control of your life, liberty, and property. It improves your coordination. Practicing is a good excuse to get out of the house. It's an effective way to feel a little safer. It impresses your friends. And it's tons of fun! If there's a range near you that rents guns, go do it. If you've never shot, these places typically offer some form of basic instruction. Find a style of gun that you're comfortable with that has some stopping power. Locate a good gun store, where the salesmen aren't a bunch of off-duty cop jocks. Ask questions. Get a basic model that you like. Learn how to shoot it; there are good nationally recognized facilities like Front Sight, Gunsite, and Thunder Ranch, as well as local ones that accomplish the same thing (watch out for the cop jock thing again). And when you're finally a trained gun-owner, do the next most important thing: convince a friend to own as well. Listen, we can argue libertarianism with our cronies until we turn blue in the face. But for some people, nothing sells them the meaning of individual freedom quite like learning how to defend themselves. I'm working on my friend Jim and some other fellows, mostly under the guise of wanting company when I go shooting. But if I make a gun owner out of just one of them, I'll know I did something for liberty in this world. Keep 'em, bear 'em. An armed society might just end up a free society. http://www.strike-the-root.com/columns/Jennings/jennings6.html
I currently own a dandy SIG pistol, a P-229 chambered in .40. I'd like to expand my collection to include at least two handguns, one shotgun, and one military-style rifle. There are at least three reasons to have a growing collection: first, they're just fun as hell. Second, it makes gun manufacturing a profitable enterprise and encourages the gun companies to stay in business. Third, perhaps most importantly, it's that many more firearms available to the citizenry, not boxed up in a warehouse. In case of a national emergency, I can defend myself and also provide the tools for the defense of my neighbors who may have had less foresight. Charlton Heston tells the story of how, during the Los Angeles riots, his gun-hating neighbors came scurrying to his house looking to see if he had any loaners. Which gets me to a curious point: there are an awful lot of libertarians out there who don't own a single firearm! When I realized this, I thought back to how long it actually took me to go out and get one. It wasn't so much reluctance; it was a lack of familiarity combined with an absence of urgency. Arming yourself is perhaps the single best thing you can do as a freedom-lover. It's something the State doesn't want you to do. It allows you to take back a little control of your life, liberty, and property. It improves your coordination. Practicing is a good excuse to get out of the house. It's an effective way to feel a little safer. It impresses your friends. And it's tons of fun! If there's a range near you that rents guns, go do it. If you've never shot, these places typically offer some form of basic instruction. Find a style of gun that you're comfortable with that has some stopping power. Locate a good gun store, where the salesmen aren't a bunch of off-duty cop jocks. Ask questions. Get a basic model that you like. Learn how to shoot it; there are good nationally recognized facilities like Front Sight, Gunsite, and Thunder Ranch, as well as local ones that accomplish the same thing (watch out for the cop jock thing again). And when you're finally a trained gun-owner, do the next most important thing: convince a friend to own as well. Listen, we can argue libertarianism with our cronies until we turn blue in the face. But for some people, nothing sells them the meaning of individual freedom quite like learning how to defend themselves. I'm working on my friend Jim and some other fellows, mostly under the guise of wanting company when I go shooting. But if I make a gun owner out of just one of them, I'll know I did something for liberty in this world. Keep 'em, bear 'em. An armed society might just end up a free society. http://www.strike-the-root.com/columns/Jennings/jennings6.html