Editor’s note: This guest column from Martin Hyde – an American businessman who immigrated from England to Florida 22 years ago – was written in response to an editorial from the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Reporting Project. Mr. Hyde is primarying Congressman Vern Buchanan, R-FL16, because of Buchanan’s support for HB8.
by Martin Hyde
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The article by “Sir Max” Hastings pontificating on things in my adopted homeland that aren’t his business rather proves that some Brits haven’t learned much since the days of King George.
Specifically, I speak as someone born and raised in the UK who has proudly called The United States and Florida in particular as my home for the last 22 years.
“Sir Max” rambled on for an eternity decrying America and Americans for not agreeing with his statement that “We are a better, much safer society without handguns.”
Furthermore, he opined that it’s “terrifyingly easy” to “touch a trigger and broadcast devastation and death.”
What this rather classically British “Twit” doesn’t get is that is EXACTLY the point about the right and need to defend oneself.
To understand (If you care to) how such opinions are formed – it started with his hugely privileged education at Charterhouse School (over $50,000 annual tuition) followed by Oxford University and then to the home of the British media elite at the BBC.
He touts himself as someone who grew up with guns because there were some unused weapons in his home. To my mind, that’s like saying I’m a great vintner because I have a bottle or two of wine in my drinks cabinet that I’ve never opened.
In any event, “Sir Max” doesn’t restrict himself to stupid comments on guns. He’s also been quoted recently as saying that the Welsh people wanting independence from the UK couldn’t survive independently from the UK because they are “Dependent on English largesse,” so his buffoonery isn’t restricted to comments about American gun rights.
He also rather outrageously suggested that a war between China and the US over Taiwan is imminent and inevitable, with China to be the victor of that conflict. These comments tell everyone that “Sir Max” is indeed a “Brit twit” of the highest level.
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The thing I learned a long time ago is that the United States is NOT the United Kingdom and that Americans fought to leave the control of Britain for good reason.
I arrived here 200 years after The Revolutionary War, but when I came here I did so BECAUSE we have a Constitution and a bill of rights.
“Sir Max” is a noted historian with many books to his name. but when it comes to the history of America and our Constitution, he’s sorely lacking in understanding.
America was established with the certain knowledge that its people were escaping a form of dictatorship and censorship and dreamed of a life where government stayed out of our daily lives.
The writers of the Constitution knew first hand that the rights enshrined in it would be of limited value without a means of protecting those rights from a future attempt by government to take these “inalienable” rights away.
The Founding Fathers foresaw what happened a couple of weeks ago in The White House Rose Garden when President Biden tried to start America down the road to gun confiscation which his assertion that “no amendment is absolute.”
When I came here, I didn’t use the phrase “That’s now how we do it at home” because I subscribed to the much more reasonable “When in Rome do as the Romans do.”
In the same way as Floridians use the mantra “Don’t New York my Florida” might I suggest not “UK-ing” my Florida either?
My personal journey on the Second Amendment and gun ownership has evolved over the past 22 years to the point where I’m the proud owner of guns for self-defense because I have learned from living here what self-reliance and independence really mean.
Like most immigrants, I’m more recently aware of how lucky we are to live in America and how important our Constitutional rights are. When I saw that our local Congressman, Vern Buchanan, had voted with just seven other House Republicans and with every House Democrat over HB8, which is a step toward gun registration and ultimately confiscation, I was horrified, as I know exactly how slippery that slope is.
As a former Brit, I want to let people know what we’re not all anti-gun twits like “Sir Max.” I’m so concerned to protect our Constitutional rights that I’m now running to replace anti-gun Buchanan in Florida’s 16th District because I KNOW what “Shall not” means when “Sir Max” and Vern’ apparently do not.
According to UK government data, armed robberies where guns are involved is way up, and almost exclusively involve handguns, and the victims are “mom and pop stores”. They seldom draw blood, but the guns which are supposed to be banned are easily gotten. Also, there has been a huge rise in the use of bladed weapons up to machetes, which have results in deaths. Auto thefts are out of control. Police officers are increasingly armed or have ready access to firearms. This makes no sense because firearms are supposed to be so restricted. Therefore, there should be less need for… Read more »
I know that, being a white Christian male, I am hopelessly a racist and xenophobe, but I will still say that any person who comes to this country to be an American, supportive of liberty, justice, and other high values, is the kind of person I would want and a neighbor or even a family member, without regard to skin color. It isn’t skin color or difference in culture, but rather leftist or other fascist, jack-booted and elitist philosophy, which destroys freedom, prosperity, ethics, mutual respect, and human rights, that must be opposed to the death – preferably General Patton’s… Read more »
As an immigrant from the UK and now a US citizen One of the things I NEVER forget is that without the USA the UK would be the smallest province of the German empire: twice. Gratitude for that alone should stop anyone in the UK from criticizing this wonderful country. How many laws do criminals break during mass killings?? So adding a few more laws will certainly prevent mass killings. How about adding a few parking tickets?? There was recently a man in Georgia who killed eight of his family with rocks and a hammer. We should register all hammer… Read more »
When people are adamantly desirous of murdering themselves they will complete the task regardless of what steps they need to take to achieve that goal: laws be damned!
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
Capt Sloog just showed that not all Brits are “subjects”. Some are not owned by the Crown, but are free thinking human beings!
Well said, Captain! Register all rocks now! 🙂
The Brits need to be reminded that we’ve whooped them twice and saved them twice.
OK, there is one Brit with whom I can agree…
Now, can he help get those few error-prone Republicans back into the Republic?
what you mean is get rid of the rinos and ship them to comifornia where they would be at home
No thanks! The many conservatives amongst us are trying to overthrow the progressives. That side doesn’t need more help!
What do you mean ‘a few rinos’ O Paleface? Somewheres between 1/3 to 1/2 of the Republican Party hierarchy currently in office are rinos! How do I know this? I listen to what they have to say in their speeches, their press conferences, and their missives which they send out to their adoring masses once a month! I live in Wyoming and Liz Cheney is a prime example of a vicious, low life, needs to be out of office, rino. When I saw in one of her monthly letters referring to white supremacy and white extremism, I understood quite clearly… Read more »
N75 – agreed – the only analytical point you didn’t mention was their voting record. That is the final proof of their rino status on top of all of their fingers crossed pontificating. Talk is cheap, public voting records, not so much. Why do you think that so many CONgress critters are pushing for closed votes…………….if We The People do not know how they voted it is well nigh impossible to hold them accountable for their lies.
Author is no longer a Brit, he is an American. Did you miss that he is striving to primary a congressional Rino? No need to reform existing politicians when we have better replacements. I’m sure he has some emotional ties to his country of origin, but his experience also provides perspective often lacking in those who’ve lived their entire lives with the liberties we take for granted as Americans. Even now I deluded myself that California could be recovered, despite all evidence to the contrary. That said I doubt i’ll ever be able to even visit unless national reciprocity passes… Read more »
Sir Max hasn’t a clue how little I care a whit,Effing one world Marxist.
The UK is deeply socialist in almost every way. They are just a couple of small steps away from the fall off the precipice into full-on Marxist Communism. Sad. The UK is a beautiful country with some wonderful, but incredibly naïve and dependent, people.