It took me a long while to catch on, but I finally did it.
It all started with last week's D.C. appellate court decision that struck down the D.C. handgun ban as unconstitutional. As I'm researching the subject trying to figure how it'll all play out, I took a look around at the pundits, the politicians, and the Dem base in the hopes of gauging the reaction and maybe getting a feel for the next move.
I noticed something very curious: The majority of the Democratic rank and file that weighed in do not support gun control!
Bet you thought you were in the minority, huh? So did I. So did I...
First stop was Fark. Now granted, Fark isn't exactly the most liberal website on the internet by any stretch, and I wasn't surprised by what I saw there; overwhelming support for the decision.
I needed a representative progressive website to get a genuine reaction. Where better than DailyKos? But wait...what's this? Only one diary entry even bothers to mention it ( a "rescued" diary at that)? The author supports the decision? As do most of the respondents?
I was a little taken aback, as was one of the commenters.
"One thing I have difficulty understanding at DailyKos is the firearm possession enthusiasm many seem to have."
And maybe this person is right. Maybe the folks here at DailyKos simply aren't representative enough of the liberal base and I just needed to look elsewhere.
And so I did. After some fruitless searching that failed to yield any commentary on the subject I tried TalkLeft.
Same result!
After that...more fruitless searches.
I give up. I simply can't find this bastion of anti-gun liberals. I'm beginning to strongly suspect that they simply aren't the majority in the Democratic party as I once believed.
Why am I pro-gun?
Simple. Same reason I'm pro-gay marriage, pro-choice, and anti-Bush: I believe in the cause of freedom in America. I believe that tyranny is the only possible outcome when the government is allowed to ignore the Constitution "for the greater good". The Bill of Rights simply doesn't allow for gun control. The 2nd Amdt is very clear on the subject because the framers specifically wanted us armed.
They wanted us armed so that we could defend ourselves from the bears in the woods. They wanted us armed so that we could put food on our tables. They wanted us armed so we could defend ourselves from each other, foreign invaders, and most importantly the tyranny of our own government. The framers were very clear on this. There is no confusion.
If we wish to change this, there is a legal means at our disposal; amendment. Until such time as the 2nd is repealed, tho' it stands as written.
We live in a time when our own executive branch can investigate us without a warrant, imprison us without charges, torture us with impunity, and restrict our rights without recourse. It's all well and good to suggest that the police can protect you from the bad guys (which incidentally they can't), but who will protect us from the police?
The 2nd Amendment is NOT an anachronism. It's more relavant today than it has ever been in recent history. The greatest threat to our way of life isn't sitting in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, he's sitting in the oval office at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
That man needs a reminder that we are armed and willing to defend our rights. It's that simple.
So just who are these anti-gun folks?
#1) Politicians. Oddly enough, the folks in Washington don't seem to like the idea that we might...well...shoot them if they get too far out of line. We're apparently much easier to control when we can't defend ourselves. Go figure.
#2) Victims of gun violence. This is perhaps the most absurd group and I'll tell you why: This nation is awash in guns and it's awash in gun control laws. They have yet to curb "gun violence" because by-and-large the "gun violence" is being committed by people who don't obey the law! Isn't it obvious? The Columbine massacre was committed in a federally-declared "gun free zone" by lawbreakers who were abetted by law breakers. It still happened! Fat lot of good all the "assault weapon" bans did there, eh? So much for "gun free zones"!
Gun control is a farce because you can't control the behavior of the insane through insane laws. That approach is simply...insane.
Washington, D.C. has the highest per-capita firearms related deaths in the country as a direct result of it's draconian gun control policy. Nobody is armed except the cops and the bad guys, and the cops never seem to be around when you need them. Again, go figure.
#3) The uninformed. I don't enjoy using that term lightly, but I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain that Glocks can't really pass through metal detectors, "cop-killer" teflon-coated Talon bullets don't really penetrate bullet proof vests, and terrorists don't use .50 caliber sniper rifles.
These people have simply been duped by the rhetoric spewed by group #1. Thankfully, they are for the most part willing to fact-check if somebody points out these errors.
So what do we do about it?
It's pretty evident that our party has a policy that doesn't reflect our wishes. First step is to stand up and be counted. Comments appreciated.
After that....? I'm all ears. I think that once we make it clear to the leadership that we're on to their little game things will have to change. Comments/ suggestions welcome here too.
So let's take a roll-call and bat it around. I'm pro-gun.