The right to bear arms.

The founders understood self defense was a primary right; our right to protect and defend our life and property.  They also believed an armed populace would give pause to potential tyrants.  The 2nd amendment is about personal self defense, an armed populace capable of being called upon in times of emergency, and preventing a tyrannical government here at home.  With that in mind LibertyLog presents some highlights (or lowlights) from the history of gun control.

• In 1911, Turkey  disarmed the populace. From 1915 to1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• In 1929, the  Soviet Union took guns away from the population.  From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were exterminated.
• China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
• Germany banned private ownership of firearms under the Nazis in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
• Cambodia “embraced” gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were massacred in Pol Pots infamous “killing fields”.
• Guatemala banned private guns  in 1964.  From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
• Uganda set up a gun control scheme  in 1970.  From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.

What these examples have in common is that those most concerned with disarming the civilian population have also been those most intent on dominating and enslaving it.  Meanwhile, decent folks are left defenseless in the face of predatory criminals and petty thugs.

Australians were forced to surrender over 600,000 personal firearms to be destroyed when their own Labor Party government banned privately owned weapons and instituted a confiscation and eradication program. In addition to confiscating private property, this “gun grab” cost Australia’s  taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. Within one year of the program Australia reported significant increases in homicides, assaults and armed robberies.

Though figures over the previous 25 years had shown a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, everything  changed once citizens were disarmed.  As criminals could now be reasonably assured they were the only ones with firearms, personal and property crime went up.  This included “hot entries”, breaking into a home when the inhabitants are known or thought to be present.  This means once the people were disarmed, criminals no longer feared entering a house when people were at home because homeowners were now unable to protect themselves and their families.  Break-ins and assaults  of the elderly are also more prevalent in areas with strict gun control measures then in areas without such laws.

The truth is, guns in the hands of honest citizens saves lives and property while gun prohibition puts  law-abiding citizens in harm’s way.

As I heard a man say once, “With guns, we are ‘citizens’.  Without them, we are ‘subjects’”.