Opinion
Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- Sometimes even the worst of the media inadvertently stumbles upon the truth.
On April 30th 2019, MSNBC reported that the socialist government of Venezuela was running over its citizens with armored vehicles amidst protests of the government’s ongoing tyranny.
MSNBC reporter Kerry Sanders, seeking to explain how the government could oppress the population to this extent, invoked the disparity of power between the government and the people. In doing so, he unwittingly managed to explain why America’s founding fathers saw fit to enshrine the right to keep and bear arms within the Bill of Rights.
Sanders noted: “You have to understand, in Venezuela gun ownership is not something that is open to everybody. So if the military have the guns, they have the power and as long as Nicolas Maduro controls the military, he controls the country.”
The result, particularly when coupled with socialism’s contempt for individualism and self-determination, is the unchecked abuse of authority at the cost of innocent lives.
It was a connection so obvious that even MSNBC couldn’t miss it.
These admissions, however unwitting, were a refreshing contrast from the usual MSNBC rhetoric, which tends to favor the most far-reaching forms of gun control. Even gun control advocate Bernie Sanders – who favors a nationwide ban on America’s most popular rifles, as well as on the standard capacity magazines Americans rely on for self-defense –isn’t anti-gun enough to avoid MSNBC’s criticism on the issue.
But while the political elite hide behind the guise of “common-sense gun laws,” in reality they believe that they should be the only ones protected by guns. The rest of the population, in their view, is not to be trusted.
Now the world is being forced to confront the reality of how that has worked out in Venezuela.
After years of pushing anti-gun rhetoric, MSNBC accidentally made one of the most powerful cases for the Second Amendment, showing that without it law-abiding citizens will not have the means to protect themselves from criminals or from the most blatant forms of government oppression.
The men and women of the National Rifle Association have understood this since 1871. And while it’s taken MSNBC a while to catch up to the rest of us, we hope it’s a lesson they won’t soon forget.
For the people of Venezuela, unfortunately, the lesson arrived too late.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
I reside in the U.P. of Michigan and we didn’t vote her in office, Detroit, Dearborn, and all the other Lower Peninsula cities that harbor Muslim’s did. We have to be stuck with their decision to have her in office.
“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” Thomas Jefferson
I love this comment!, thank you….
Jefferson might as well have described the Tammany Hall political machine in New York City. There, crooks were the government, for decades.
The Sullivan Act of 1911, which is the bedrock of New York City gun control was enacted by Tammany Hall bosses.
The Evolution of Gun Control:
Legislation
Registration
Confiscation
Extermination
Don’t worry, they forgot the lesson (even they even understood it themselves) before the end of the broadcast.
In Michigan alone, there are more than 800,000 deer hunters in the woods on November 15th, with guns. The horror! More guns than the army! Add the rest of the deer hunting population and you have a huge army. Military folks are Americans first and I’m pretty sure they would smell tyranny in the air and refuse to fire on their own folks that probably feel the same way about the political atmosphere that they do. Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t EVER forget.. it was a bunch of “stupid farmers with their squirrel guns” bested the mightiest, best equipped, trained, and funded military force on the planet back in the late 18th Century. ANd if need be, it will be we “stupid farmers with our squirrel guns” do it again. Too bad the good and gentle people of Venezuela forgot their roots… how Simon Bolivar came round gathered together the common man, and helped them to stand against the tyranits of his day with their own arms for defence. When venezolanos complied with the demands to surrender their arms, they… Read more »
AWESOME!!!
The Revolutionary war was NOT fought with squirrel guns. That is bs.
During the War of 1812, some of the Americans did indeed have “squirrel guns”, which they used to engage the British forces. Different time and war, but the end result was the same.
Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison wound up being elected presidents, and Richard M. Johnson – who killed Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippiecanoe in 1811 – was vice president under Van Buren.
I think we all need to start excersising our rights and stand up for our rights being first of all the fact that we are not under any ownership by the government! They think they can lay claim to us through our birth certificates which they use as a bond but we are human beings living people who cannot be owned, and it’s crazy because no one ever realized that we are all slaves, slavery isn’t just a black issue, that was all a distraction to keep people from understanding what was happening and still is happening right under our… Read more »
And yet, Michigan elected a Muslim to Congress. Apparently those 800,000 gun owners don’t care enough about their state or this country not to no sh*t on it.
Don’t see any from the U.P. All L.P.
I’d like to think the US Military would refuse to fire…
But Kent State happened in my lifetime. 4 unarmed college kids protesting for peace shot and killed. I think I’ll keep my weapons thank you
Mike B., neither one of us was around for this one, but on June 30, 1932, some ex-World War I veterans were shot by the U.S. army, under Herbert Hoover’s orders, outside the Capitol Building. The vets were protesting what they felt was a betrayal of what they’d been promised – bonuses for having fought in the war. MacArthur and Patton were among those taking part in the slaughter.
Speaking as an American decorated combat veteran, if a corrupted government controls and directs its military, and that military follows orders (legal or otherwise), it won’t matter if every citizen has a weapon in each hand or weapons coming out of their ears, the citizenry will lose every battle of force. People who fail to believe this fact have never spent a day in a military uniform and/or have no concept of the lethality of their own military forces. Take your “guns” and go up against a tank or an attack helicopter (not to mention a fighter jet or bomber)… Read more »
Tanks in urban areas are quite vulnerable, and so are helos. If we’ve learned nothing else from the Iraq War, we know that. As for using fighter jets on civilians, they’d quickly go bankrupt sending F-35s after every guy crouching behind a bush with a Mosin Nagant. 🙂
But your implied threat is silly anyway, since our armed forces and police are overwhelmingly in support of Second Amendment rights and would never follow unlawful orders. I have faith in them—the sort you’d have if you really were the American decorated combat veteran you claim to be.
I believe the Oat Keepers will lead the patriot/true AMERICAN military in the right direction, WE THE PEOPLE will prevail.
“ defend the constitution of the United States “ enough said
You’re absolutely right. No revolution or civil war in history has resulted in the successful overthrow of the the current government. People should just lie down and take it.
Very funny. I think you made your point to those who think.
Bartender,
If that is to be believed, then the United States would not exist at all. British Military forces were the greatest power in the world when we declared our independence, and a rag tag militia of American patriots beat them.
I see your point about a “corrupt” government, but right now I think the winds of change are coming, the American people are starting to see through the corruption that has been going on far too long.
Remember the Warsaw battle in WW2. A group of partisans fought the German army, which was tthe most powerful army in the world, using handguns, rifles and gasoline bombs!
and the ONLY reason those partisans still had those few old guns is that they refused to register them when required years previously,then again refused to surrender them to Hitler’s goon squads when the demand was made. Those German solidiers were not accusotomed to being fired upon in return. When the first few rounds came back at them, they broke ranks, withered, and ran like crazy.. just as did the men under Col Smith who were supposed to hold the North Bridge at Concord. The first (and ONLY) volley of the Regulars hit a total of two men, dropping one… Read more »
Or the U.S. In Vietnam.
BT10…thanks for your service. The idea isn’t force on force. The idea of civilians having modern weapons is deterrence. I have held the same opinions as you, long ago. Then i started to talk to some of the young people who came back (some whole, some not) from Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a price to be paid by soldiers who fight insurgents. Especially locals who have the support of the population. Taking on a tank or apc with a Molotov cocktail or flipping off an A10 on a gun run is foolish but sniping a foot patrol or jamming… Read more »
Hey Spurs, lets not tell this BT10 too much because we really don’t know who he is or who he is working for. Good thoughts on asymmetrical warfare, though.
Perhaps you should consider consuming less of the profits, Bartender 10.
Your statement presupposes that ALL active and reserve members of our military, less than 2% of the population, will violate their oath to support and defend the Constitution and then turn their weapons on their friends, kin and neighbors. You also discount the power of an insurgency, dedicated to opposing ALL enemies, foreign and domestic, an insurgency which I’m sure will be made up of many FORMER members of the military. Finally, just look at the ALL the great empires that have been defeated by insurgent resistance. Hell, our nation was born of an insurgency, based on the efforts of… Read more »
Unfortunately, this guy is correct. As a fellow combat veteran, there is very little the civilian populace can do to thwart the U.S. armed forces. And technologies like FLIR has a lot to do with it. The military constantly adapts it’s arsenal of technology to strip a potential enemy of their home field advantage. And we learned that concept back during Vietnam. However, with that being said, I doubt officers would actually follow or issue those unlawful orders. No, the government would have to rely on it’s bureaucratic agencies to fight for them, as most troops would not follow these… Read more »
I truly believe that our military would not proceed to attack their fellow Americans. But the UN is another story. Does anyone know how many UN troops are stationed on American soil? Would be interesting to know.
I disagree. The following is only a scenario if and when it should come to pass, which I pray it never does. Considering how many hunters, 2A supporters, etc., are VETERANS, I’m pretty darn sure we the people would not lose every battle. We know our local terrain best. We have skills that the military has. We are armed. We would have the hesitancy of a great many military members (both officer and enlisted) and many of them might come over to our side. We will have the majority of law enforcement. A national poll of law enforcement officers showed… Read more »
By the way, I am a combat veteran of Vietnam. I may not be as young or physically fit but I still have the mind and heart of a warrior, and I still remember my training and experience.
@Dave W, Your military mind is correct; nine tenths of every army fielded was defeated by attacking their supply lines. Can we put your mind and heart in the Tradoc Div when the shtf?
We have a place for everyone that wants to contribute.
I’ve served too, in tanks no less. If somehow they managed to convince our army to fight their own families, I’d give even money on a determined American insurgency vs. the u.s. military. Civil war probably wouldn’t be two opposing forces meeting in the field, because nobody is dumb enough to show up just to get mudstomped by the government. It would likely be things like sniping cops, 2 a.m. kidnappings, back road ambushes, poisoned supplies, sabotaged refineries, wrecked port facilities, summary executions, roadside bombs, blown bridges and power stations, atrocities and counter atrocities, and ugly stuff like that which… Read more »
No self-respecting veteran refers to himself as “highly decorated.”
@Bartender10, Decorated Combat Vet? And you write about using small arms on tanks? Your target acquisition skills are UNSAT. What was your MOS, again?
I would not guess or second guess the reaction of our armed forces, including police, to such conditions. I do not foresee the number of citizens that would resist government force. Unless the government with the armed forces relocates overseas, we all will be on home ground. Air graft have to land, the crews and grafts have to survive to return to action. The homes and families of all factions are subject to attack. Infrastructure can be damaged beyond use. There may be battle lines, but no behind the lines. Combatants and non-combatants will live on the same battlefield. A… Read more »
And speaking as another combat vet, Bartender, perhaps you were in a battalion or brigade or squad or whatever that was fortunate enough to have the latest and greatest weapons and supplies, but I can sure tell you that it’s not all like that. 20 year old Berettas with weak springs and worn barrels, recycled M16A2’s, no ACOG’s or thermals available, old and broken NVG’s, and vehicles that needed serious work after every couple missions. We are a resilient and creative bunch, but it’s hardly a fair fight sometimes. and this was only 10 years ago. Maybe it’s changed a… Read more »
Tell that to the Viet Cong.
You make a valid point – but i spent nearly two decades watching Afghan and Iraqi villagers proving otherwise. Sadly I have about 36,000 pieces of evidence.
If you fail to fight back and try to persevier, than just give up your dig ity, and surrender to tyrany! Better to be Brave And Fight And Die For Your Country, Than to coward out and surrender to slavery!!!
Being a Combat Vet myself and a real one 1batt 5th Mar 2002-2006 three tours in Iraq as Marine Infantry. I feel my comment is just I have been the power that took down a county toppled Iraq Army and supporters in a 16-hour firefight. Yet I have also seen our military hit hard because of policy’s they put in place I.E speed limit in towns was IEDs on every corner. Also, remember it would be hard to go to your home town and shot at your friends and family! If it’s not you’re hometown it might be the guy… Read more »
So you suggest what? Laying down and rolling over? Some combat vet you are.
Right. For example, a rag-tag band of southeast asian farmers with cobbled-together weapons couldn’t possibly defeat the combined armed forces of the United States. Or France, for that matter.
You obviously don’t know how a Russian tank division lost to rebels in the city streets…the fighting spirit of freedom loving people can never be extinguished. -20 year veteran
you are right on one front we could never defeat the military in open conflict but in a long protracted insurgency like the first american revolution, Vietnam,Afghanistan (that is right we lost in the long run .we are in talks with Taliban for our withdrawal just like the Russians in 89 .the defeated the strongest most lethal military in the world .a bung of goat fuckers in mud huts )Iraq .we pulled out and nothing has changed other than the chaos . the will to win will be determined by asymmetrical warfare and how well the population resists .kills do… Read more »
This why we are armed. Because of people who kill innocent people in the name of tyranny and oppression. The four father’s were very wise and educated men who seen a need for our citizens to be armed. If you own an arm keep train with it. If not get one learn from a compatent person who knows what they are doing. Safety first, if your un sure about a firearm and how use it safely, don’t touch it. Find a good knowledge able person and learn.
Only four fathers?
Could a been five.
@Jared P Balmer, If you are going to spell like that, brother, then you are going to have expect to take a little good natured ribbing from “us uns”!
Personnel clerk, I think.
Why aren’t the anti-gunners squawking about Venezuela’s “common-sense gun laws” being a good model for the U.S. to follow?
https://www.opslens.com/2019/05/a-disarmed-venezuelan-people-sitting-ducks-for-tyrant-maduro/
You can consume Satan’s gun control Koolaid to your own demise and possibly meet the wrath of God or REFUSE TO COMPLY to your own genocide. The choice is yours to make. God wins in the end the only variable is the body count of those who worship Satan’s Islam/Nazi NWO by consenting with compliance.