U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “The job of gun control falls upon gun owners,” Gary Cosby Jr., photo editor of The Tuscaloosa News, writes in a Friday opinion piece. “If you are a gun owner, gun control is all about what you do. Take it seriously and control your firearms.”
He makes some good points. Gun-grab edicts don’t work. It’s up to us to be responsible, to make sure our firearms are under our control or secured.
“Guns don’t shoot themselves,” Cosby asserts. “Guns are always fired by a human. If you are going to own a gun, be responsible enough to control that gun. The government can’t do that job. Gun control is total, one hundred percent, up to gun owners.”
Bravo. Right on. He gets it. Except when he doesn’t, and then he misses so widely it’s a forehead slapper. With a brick:
“Then there is the Bill of Rights, which grants Americans the right to have firearms…”
NO, IT DOES NOT!
Why are we still seeing otherwise sensible gun owners demonstrating such a profound misunderstanding of what rights are?
Let’s look at what the Supreme Court said in Heller:
“[I]t has always been widely understood that the Second Amendment, like the First and Fourth Amendments, codified a pre-existing right. The very text of the Second Amendment implicitly recognizes the pre-existence of the right and declares only that it ‘shall not be infringed.’ As we said in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553 (1876), ‘[t]his is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The Second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed…”
The Founding Fathers believed in “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” and that men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” They believed “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
There is no section in the Constitution where the power to grant rights is delegated to any branch of government. Rather than bestowing rights, the first 10 Amendments in effect, establish guarantees and boundaries where government abridgments are prohibited.
The Second Amendment didn’t create a right to keep and bear arms — it acknowledged a right that was already assumed and accepted. The underlying principle, that natural rights are inherent to the condition of being human, remains unchanged. It is our job to understand this, and to never allow these rights to be construed as mere grants or privileges that, if they can be bestowed, can also be withheld or revoked.
Nobody in government gave us that right, so it’s not theirs to try and take away.
That’s why even if the Second Amendment were repealed, we would still have a right to keep and bear arms, no matter what that subversive old coot John Paul Stevens says. So if you hear someone talking about your rights being granted, correct them —gently if they’re well-intentioned, or scathingly if they’re not.
It’s also why the popular (among some gun owners) slogan “The Second Amendment is my gun permit” is a pet peeve of mine. That’s almost as irritatingly wrong-headed and self-defeating as “Enforce existing gun laws.”
Let’s hope Mr. Cosby sees such critiques, takes them well, and advises his readers with a new understanding.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
“The Second Amendment is my gun permit” LOL! First time reading my own ‘personal’ beliefs. As noted, any “permit” granted by any government is all but worthless. My credo pretty much sums up the author’s points: “I will obey no ‘man-made’ law that would deny me my “God Given Right” to self-defense of myself or mine, by ANY appropriate means, ANYWHERE.” That dastardly 2nd Amendment is appreciated but NOT required! A prime example of ‘giving up you rights’ to some entity of government, such as those 9 magpies in robes, who are deemed one of the final arbiters of all… Read more »
If advocates for civilian gun rights want to back their cause by the wording of the Bill of Rights’ Second Ammendment, they will lose often in the Supreme Court. As long as there is a cabal of liberals sitting on the bench, they will always rule: “No right is absolute and states have the right to restrict gun ownership.” However, if we frame the issue as: “The American citizen has the right, when necessary and when no alternative exists, to use deadly force in defense of him or herself”,then we have a stronger argument.
I am never disappointed when reading anything written by David Codrea. He is a modern day Paul Revere, of sorts, shouting from the highest point, trying to warn us of the coming danger. While we all should recognize it, and make preparations for the very real possibility of a coming attack on our gun rights, yet again, the fact is that only a small number of gun owners have their eyes opened enough to see and know that our 2nd amendment rights, which of course are just a qualifier for an existing right, are under attack that is more insidious… Read more »
Current system is collapsing under the weight of its own corruption. Like a raging car fire pour gasoline on it when you can to keep it burning hot. Plenty of pro 2A court rulings going on right now so keep them rolling. Reverse the process of death by a thousand slash’s to freedom by a thousand slash’s. Hell, even liberals on USSC are ruling in favor of 2A. It’s not going away any time soon regardless of what any state legislature scratch’s on paper.
REFUSE TO COMPLY, tell em “fuck off”.
Yes!
FREEDOM IS FREE!
It comes from God and the actions of men cannot bestow nor deny a right to it.
A government killed Jesus. What will it do to us? Anything it wants if allowed. May God protect our minds so we may repel our governments attempts to enslave us.
In Colorado, the state Constitution states no person stalled be called into question for defending themselves and open carry is not questioned. People who have committed a crime are equally allowed to have firearms once their sentence in completed just like back in the Wild West of which Colorado is still identical to those Clint Eastwood movies once you get out of the city. Sure, they want to confiscate guns but not a person will hand them over and there you have it. Just because some fag psychopath demands surrender it doesn’t mean shit. Fags make demands and who cares.… Read more »
I would recommend reading “The Unabridged Second Amendment” by J Neil Schulman for an unfiltered objective examination of the right to keep and bear arms. I have yet to discover a more definitive treatise on the subject.
https://www.constitution.org/2ll/schol/2amd_grammar.htm
Very well said ! We have a right that shall not be infringed. God gave us the right , not government ! Thank you for stating these facts . keep your powder dry and be responsible for your firearms .
Finally someone has written the actual truth about the 2nd Ammendment. It is key that “We the People” begin acting like “We the People” and remind all our members of government they work for us, and expect them to abide by the constitution, that so many have given their lives to protect.