Talking newscasters tell you the 2nd Amendment should disappear. Why keep this outdated right? But you refuse to believe the bobbleheads.
American citizens want the 2nd Amendment. It has deep cultural roots, empowers people, and many Americans believe it’s the most important of all amendments. The 2nd Amendment represents “We the People” as mentioned in the Constitution’s Preamble. Without it, Americans are subjects- not citizens.
If you don’t agree with this stance, my goal is to give you understanding. I’ll show you why many Americans believe and love the 2nd Amendment.
Let me share my knowledge with you.
How the 2nd Amendment Impacts Your Life?
First of all, the 2nd Amendment grants firearm access to every lawful American.
As a right protected in the Constitution, it affects you whether you like them or not. The only way to get rid of this right is to repeal the 2nd Amendment. And many opponents try constantly.
Thus, firearms have deep American cultural roots. They are the basis of liberty for you to enjoy your freedoms.
Starting officially in 1776, civilian firearm access is unique to the U.S. We truly are an American experiment based on a self-rule government. Each firearm tells a story about a time and place in history.
Also, guns aren’t going anywhere. According to a recent Small Arms Survey, Americans possess some 393 million firearms.
There are more guns than people in the U.S.
A more interesting statistic is that the U.S. produced over 465 million firearms since 1899. This number doesn’t consider the number of them taken out of circulation due to age or usability.
Beyond the cultural significance, Americans continue to buy weapons for practical reasons.
A way to measure firearm consumption is through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). NICS checks are a federal system meant to exclude anyone with a criminal history from buying guns.
When you go to purchase a rifle or pistol, you must submit a form called 4473. Each retail gun acquisition requires its use mandated by federal law.
But there is one caveat to this check.
When you want a state gun carry permit, many jurisdictions run NICS checks too. Thus, you could have 2 checks in one month for 1 firearm purchase. Your first check is when you purchase your new tool. The second check is from state officials checking your criminal history before issuing your permit.
In 2020 because of a pandemic and a fearful public, Americans bought guns in record numbers.
Federal authorities conducted nearly 39 million background checks during those chaotic times. That’s a 28% jump from prior 2019 numbers. Public uncertainty impacts your life and people react by purchasing firearms.
Looking at NICS numbers overall, Feds conducted 9.1 million checks in 1999 with peak checks occurring in 2020. After 2020, the numbers still remain in the high 30 million range.
Firearms are close to American identity and culture. The numbers prove it, and they impact your life.
NICS Checks thru July 2023 by J libertyFBI NICS Checks
Empowers People to Self-Reliance
Sam Colt is a household name in the gun community. For those that don’t know, Sam Colt invented the Colt revolver. You must know about this historical firearm.
This popular, yet, mystic quote goes like this:
“God made man, but Samuel Colt made them equal.”
Urban Legend
All urban legend-type quotes have a hint of truth to them. There is also:
“Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.”
From Society
Both of these famous sayings are similar.
In other words, having a firearm equalizes the playing field. You become a self-reliant individual in a battle for your life.
If a criminal breaks into your house, they have the element of surprise. But you have an equalizing tool to end the threat.
Another great example is that all feminists should own a firearm. In a typical average hand-to-hand fight, males are stronger than females. But wait!
Remember Sam Colt’s quote, firearms empower you and make everyone equal. Women who own firearms and are proficient can fight back against an overpowering male opponent.
Owning a firearm ends the “victim attitude”. You- as an independent thinking American- feel empowered if the police don’t show up on time to a 911 call.
Part of feeling enabled is knowing how to use the gun properly. When you buy a fancy coffee machine, don’t you read the instructions on how to use it?
The same goes for owning a pistol. No one tells you to read the instructions about the coffee machine. You read them because you want the best cup of coffee possible. That only happens by knowing how a device works.
Understanding the ins and outs of weapons improves your confidence. Don’t buy a pistol and leave it in a drawer. Practice with it. Learn how to grip and thoroughly clean and handle it.
Empowerment derives itself from:
- your personal comfort
- your confidence levels
- your skills development as your proficiency improves
All of these factors combined rid you of the victim mentality that a firearm provides.
2nd Amendment Positive Attributes
With a culture that focuses only on the negatives of gun ownership, I’ll give you some positives.
Guns Save Lives
People will refute this positive argument for why the 2nd amendment matters. Yet, guns are important for personal self-reliance and safety.
The premise of this positive is to match firepower with firepower. If a criminal has a gun so should the average citizen. As a result, people will protect themselves from criminals with defensive gun uses.
Defensive gun use ranges from:
- displaying a firearm to make the criminal run away
- firing at the perpetrator ending the threat
Consequently, in the mid-1990s, many different researchers published studies about defensive gun use. And from those studies, a widening gap in the actual number of defensive guns used per year existed.
An age-old statistic is defensive gun uses range from 60,000 to 2.5 million. That’s a big gap in defensive gun use for most people not to believe its legitimacy.
As I continued researching statistics, I came to some troubling realizations.
Many government organizations report victims and deaths from shootings. However, they don’t report the statistics of saved lives.
Do they intentionally disguise the positives of firearm ownership?
In late 2022, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) removed its defensive gun use statistics from its website.
Why would they do that? Do firearms indeed save lives, and do they want to hide that fact?
They lack transparency when representing this data. The only conclusion to logically make is that guns do save lives. And this becomes a positive attribute of gun ownership.
Here is a signed letter from U.S. Senators concerned over this matter.
Other sources of crime statistics include:
- National Crime Victimization Survey
- FBI Uniform Crime Report
The fact is guns save lives because criminals have them. And when you call police officers, they have guns to fight off the criminals too.
Screenshots are from this url.
Quick Civilian Response to National Security Threats
Many hypotheticals exist for this positive.
People worried about a west coast Japanese invasion during World War II. Americans convinced themselves that foreign troops would land in Los Angeles or San Francisco to push eastward.
That’s an example of why civilian firearm ownership exists. An armed populace will outnumber a foreign army.
What would a foreign general want to combat millions upon millions of Americans with weapons?
While the World War II scenario is practical, Hollywood parroted movies about national security threats.
One called Red Dawn portrayed a fictional story of a Soviet invasion against an armed civilian response. In the end, a successful conclusion resulted in repelling the invaders.
Armed civilians are the first line of defense when the U.S. standing army is weak or busy. Bold patriots dot America’s landscape ready to defend their homeland with the 2nd Amendment.
Do you often sit wondering a life without the 2nd Amendment? LEARN MORE by reading my article the hypotheticals of no 2nd Amendment.
Is the 2nd Amendment the Most Important Amendment?
Throughout the animal kingdom, evolution helped them grow resistance against common threats.
Similarly, human evolution designed the 2nd Amendment to protect against their threats. It is the backbone of the Constitution and preserves liberty as our safety net.
Human nature is a scary concept wildly misunderstood and underestimated. It is responsible for many world atrocities. Philosophers and historians explain these dark periods by saying “human nature”.
Narcissistic individuals desire unfettered power. They don’t want any limits placed on how they rule or the treatment of other human beings.
The 2nd Amendment is the most important amendment listed in the Bill of Rights. Firearms and force defend against human nature toward tyranny.
Parents give birth to their innocent children. But any kid can change and become evil by adulthood. And this transformation reflects the complexities of human nature.
For example, no one expected Adolf Hitler to kill millions. He helped to start the worst war and suffering in human history.
Civil society and laws help protect against potential tyranny. Yet, laws aren’t enough to stop a maniac’s thirst for unlimited power.
The 2nd Amendment is the final barrier to stopping dictatorship and oppression. That’s why it is the most important amendment- stop power-hungry governments and autocrats.
Conclusion
The 2nd Amendment is more than meaningless words written before your birth. They represent a pivotal historical moment known as 1776.
Thus, firearms keep evil in check. How do they do this?
As Thomas Jefferson eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence, government derives its power from the “consent of the governed”. Tyrants aren’t welcome with a fortified populace having the “right to keep and bear arms.”
In other words, guns are like a good insect repellent for those pesky vermin that try to take advantage.
Knowing this as the foundation, keep your firearms. The 2nd Amendment matters to you as well as your future. Don’t forget it is the backbone of the Constitution.
Do you believe in the liberty of the Second Amendment?
J. Liberty
References:
FBI. (2023, August). NICS Firearm Background Checks: Day/Month/Year. Retrieved from FBI.
Karp, A. (2023, August). Estimating Global Civilian Held-Firearms Numbers. Retrieved from Small Survey Arms.
Mascia, J., & Brownlee, C. (2023, August). How Many Guns Are Circulating in the U.S.? Retrieved from The Trace.
