Little-Acorn
Gold Member
You know, it strikes me that there is a very good way to quickly figure out how much your elected political leader trusts you, the voter.
Does he trust you to do the right thing with a gun?
Or does he believe you need a law to FORCE you to do the right thing? Carry it safely, use it safely, store it safely?
Or worse, does he believe that he must forbid you from owning a gun at all?
The founders of our country based its government on the idea that society is best served by free people making their own decisions, acting on them freely, and taking the consequences. They favored very few laws, and those only against activities which would directly violate people's rights: Theft, assault, murder etc. And they favored the idea that such laws should be enacted and enforced as close to the people as possible: at local or state levels rather than Federal.
In fact, many of the laws in the Constitution that the Framers wrote, weren't intended for citizens at all. They were for government: Requiring that government do certain things (run the armed forces, coin money, provide jury trials etc.), or forbidding government from doing certain things (conducting unwarranted searches, restricting the press or religion, banning personal weapons etc.)
Today, politicians seem to vary quite a lot in how much they think government should do. Some think you can handle your own retirement planning, others think you should be forced to join a plan like Social Security, and pay for the privilege of course. Some think you should be free to use your land as you see fit, others believe you are better off with laws telling you you can't drain a swamp or build a house on your own land.
How can you tell if a politician trusts you to handle your own affairs and learn from your own mistakes, as much as the Framers did?
Ask them one question: "Do you think I should be free to own and carry any kind of personal firearm I like, with no restrictions?"
Those that answer "Yes", probably trust you to be able to handle the rest of your affairs too. Those who answer "No", don't trust you and feel they must control you.
Which kind of politician do you think you should vote for, next election? One who trusts you as a free citizen? Or one who does not trust you and feels you need to be controlled by government - that is, by people like him - in the important but routine matters of life?
The issue is much larger than just the simple ownership of a gun. It has to do with the politician's basic philosophy of government, and what he believes government is for. Is the purpose of government, to control and micromanage what you do? Or is its purpose to keep anyone from doing that, and to keeep you free to make your own decisions and learn from your own mistakes, and determine your own fate?
The issue is larger than simple gun ownership. But a politician's position on many such important matters, can be identified by his response to this one issue: does he trust the average citizen to own and use a gun properly?
Does he trust you to do the right thing with a gun?
Or does he believe you need a law to FORCE you to do the right thing? Carry it safely, use it safely, store it safely?
Or worse, does he believe that he must forbid you from owning a gun at all?
The founders of our country based its government on the idea that society is best served by free people making their own decisions, acting on them freely, and taking the consequences. They favored very few laws, and those only against activities which would directly violate people's rights: Theft, assault, murder etc. And they favored the idea that such laws should be enacted and enforced as close to the people as possible: at local or state levels rather than Federal.
In fact, many of the laws in the Constitution that the Framers wrote, weren't intended for citizens at all. They were for government: Requiring that government do certain things (run the armed forces, coin money, provide jury trials etc.), or forbidding government from doing certain things (conducting unwarranted searches, restricting the press or religion, banning personal weapons etc.)
Today, politicians seem to vary quite a lot in how much they think government should do. Some think you can handle your own retirement planning, others think you should be forced to join a plan like Social Security, and pay for the privilege of course. Some think you should be free to use your land as you see fit, others believe you are better off with laws telling you you can't drain a swamp or build a house on your own land.
How can you tell if a politician trusts you to handle your own affairs and learn from your own mistakes, as much as the Framers did?
Ask them one question: "Do you think I should be free to own and carry any kind of personal firearm I like, with no restrictions?"
Those that answer "Yes", probably trust you to be able to handle the rest of your affairs too. Those who answer "No", don't trust you and feel they must control you.
Which kind of politician do you think you should vote for, next election? One who trusts you as a free citizen? Or one who does not trust you and feels you need to be controlled by government - that is, by people like him - in the important but routine matters of life?
The issue is much larger than just the simple ownership of a gun. It has to do with the politician's basic philosophy of government, and what he believes government is for. Is the purpose of government, to control and micromanage what you do? Or is its purpose to keep anyone from doing that, and to keeep you free to make your own decisions and learn from your own mistakes, and determine your own fate?
The issue is larger than simple gun ownership. But a politician's position on many such important matters, can be identified by his response to this one issue: does he trust the average citizen to own and use a gun properly?
