This blog contains excerpts from the book “Fighting Back” from Eric Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America.
Anti-gun leftists are waging a vicious war against OUR Second Amendment rights. Don’t be fooled into thinking they fight fair. Do you remember when Francis O’Rourke, our useless Secretary of Transportation, was running for president and shouted “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47!”, to which the Democratic crowd gave him a standing ovation.
Rights Vs. Privileges
So, what’s the difference? Well, the primary difference is one can be taken away, the other cannot. Privileges are given to you by an authoritative person or agency. A driver’s license is a privilege given to you by the state Department of Transportation. The state gives you this privilege and the state can revoke it, such as when you are convicted of drunk driving.
A right, on the other hand, is something bestowed upon you from God, and therefore cannot be taken away by anyone, including the government. The right to speak your mind (1st Amendment). The right to not have your property searched (4th Amendment). The right to defend yourself, yes with firearms, if necessary (2nd Amendment). The awareness of these rights goes all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, where the document disclosed “unalienable rights” and “endowed by our Creator”…concepts completely foreign to British subjects at the time who were under the thumb of the King of England and under the belief that a ruling monarch told you what you were allowed or not allowed to do. This was such a powerful document at the time and still is today. And in case you missed it or were not taught these in school, these rights are identified as the first ten (10) Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, commonly known as the “Bill Of Rights”.
The anti-gun left believes that rights change over time. “The 2nd Amendment may have been needed during the founding of the country, but has no bearing now,” as many would argue. Imagine, if you will, two people fighting with swords in the same canoe. One or both will eventually fall into the water. Now, imagine one of the swordsmen moved to solid ground to fight and the other still fought in the canoe. The firm foundation of the solid ground is a game-changer because the swordsman on solid ground now has a distinct advantage over his opponent. The solid ground foundation is that the 2nd Amendment NEVER changes. This is your winning argument when going up against an anti-gun liberal.
And those who understand this the best are those who have been oppressed by totalitarian leaders. Regardless of your position of the openness of our southern border, the reason so many Venezuelans are among those crossing is because they have witnessed first hand the oppression caused when people are disarmed and can no longer defend themselves, making them ripe for totalitarian control by the government. The oppressiveness of that totalitarian dictator is making life unbearable for Venezuelan citizens.
Some of you may be old enough to remember seeing news footage of the horrors of the Tienanmen Square Massacre on June 4, 1989 in Beijing. Student protesters were gunned down with guns and tanks. The image which comes to mind more often than not is the single solitary man protesting in front of a column of tanks. China’s gun control policy only included the police and military. Everyone else was not allowed to own guns. And because their God-given right to defend themselves was nonexistent, these protesters were gunned down in the streets.
Many Chinese began questioning their faith in communism after that day. Among them was a young devout woman follower of Mao Zedong, and considered him a god. But after he died, she lost faith in the Communist party. Her name is Lily Tang Williams. She emigrated to the United States. A fellow American college student showed her a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which opened her eyes about the monster Mao truly was. She said “you mean I have rights? It doesn’t matter which country? Which race? Which color? I have rights?”
The conversation with that college student opened her eyes to the benefits of the 2nd Amendment. He went on to tell her that Americans can own guns as a matter of right – without permission from the government. And if the government leaders become tyrannical, people have the right to stand up to the government with firearms. Lily Tang Williams got it. Having actually lived under oppression, she understood the significance of God-given rights vs. man-made privileges, and now, so should you.
There are three main takeaways from this blog if you find yourself arguing with an anti-gun liberal:
- * People are “endowed by their Creator” with natural rights, including the right to keep and bear arms. These rights are NOT subject to compromise.
- * Because natural rights are God-given, and are not privileges handed out by the government, human rights cannot be infringed. Hence, you need to argue against waiting periods, background checks, guns and ammunition bans, gun databases and more.
- * Brutal and horrible consequences occur when government despots ignore the natural rights of their citizens – especially the right to keep and bear arms.
Next – Guns Save Lives
