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 “The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.” – Noah Webster

                In early America, when the articles of federation were failing and many were arguing over the creation of a federal government, a document was drafted which would become the constitution of our country. A loosely united group of countrymen had just miraculously defeated thousands of well-trained British soldiers in a fight against oppression that had seemed hopeless to many. The founding fathers divided into two encompassing groups – the federalists and the anti-federalists. The federalists believed in the ratification of the constitution and the creation of a federal government, while the anti-federalists were much more skeptical of the idea – fearing the federal government would only end in oppression of the people.  It is this idea that still lives today – the basis of our constitution.

                This notion that people should be free from tyrannical government, that, in fact, the people should control the government by force of arms, is one that dates back only a few hundred years – a novel concept by historical standards. For a thousand years kings had ruled their kingdoms with an iron fist using the military as their catalyst for control. Even developed European nations were ruled this way until well after the American Revolution.  The founding fathers, having fled to the new world to escape this oppression, included this right to bear arms in our constitution not as an option nor a privilege but as an absolute, undeniable right of the people.  So why then, you may ask, are the liberal left trying to deny us a sacred right granted and secured by the highest form of government?

                Certainly there are legitimate reasons to government wanting to implement policies that would ultimately make firearms more difficult to obtain and eventually make them illegal. We can all see that guns are dangerous and that they are very high on the leading cause of death in our country. Pacifists would have us all lay them down and trade bullets for roses. The question everyone in this country must ask themselves is how much freedom will you sacrifice for security? Will your children look back one day and ask you about the ‘good old days’ when you used to be able to choose what kind of car you drove, what kind of light bulbs you used, or start your own business?

                Do not let anyone tell you that our founding fathers could not have predicted the advancement in weapons technology, the so-called shift in lifestyles that renders heavy firearms useless. Certainly they could not have predicted the exact circumstances the country has gone through but they had the future in mind. With military grade weapons in mind (the ‘assault rifles’ we all hear about) people often protest the distribution and owning of such weapons. Many would say such weapons belong only in the hands of military personnel – that is how the bill was intended. Thinking back to the time of the revolution, the British military used almost identical weapons as the American militias. What would have been of the founding of our country had the militia only been permitted to arm themselves with pistols and swords?

 The 2^nd amendment was put into the bill of rights for a very specific reason – to stop the very things that are happening in our country today. Taking away our freedoms to own what firearms we please is a direct, focused attack on the very foundation of our country – our ability to stop unjust rule and oppression. I do not care to think what should happen if such a powerful statement should go un-noticed.