House Vote Supports 2nd Amendment Rights During All Disasters, Except House Votes
As Bill Clinton might say, “it depends on what your definition of ‘legal’ is.”
The House voted Tuesday to prevent law enforcement officers from confiscating legally owned guns during a national disaster or emergency.
This vote was meant to address the fact that firearm confiscations during hurricane Katrina left residents unable to defend themselves from various threats, such as looters or visits from Sean Penn.
The NRA may consider this vote a small victory, but it still outlines the depth of the problem as it exists: that the 2nd Amendment can be subject to temporary repeal based on the whim of the moment.
The vote also directly implies that the confiscation of legal firearms when there isn’t an “emergency” is perfectly acceptable. So, who gets to decide what is or isn’t an “emergency”? The government, of course. The next time there’s a major problem, such as another Katrina or something along that level, if the government decides they should confiscate legal firearms, if they only refer to it as a “big inconvenience” instead of an emergency, can they sidestep the House resolution?
I’ve always been fiercely pro 2nd Amendment rights. The thinking behind my stance when I was young and didn’t really know much about the issue was, “even if I’m wrong, I’m on the side of the people with all the guns.”
That opinion still stands (unless the government has taken their guns), but it goes much deeper than that.
About 230 years ago, a people who were sick and tired of living under a faraway king’s laws, taxes and fruity-looking powdered wigs, sacrificed their lives, and in many cases, fortunes, and staged a daring fight for independence. The U.S. government, which now consists, figuratively speaking, of more Brits than colonists, can’t allow that to happen yet again.
Fortunately, the battle against the British was facilitated by the British, who dressed their soldiers in bright red uniforms. The only way they could have stuck out more would have been to sew a giant neon “bullseye” sign on each coat. Now, for Americans, the distinction between good guy and bad guy isn’t nearly as easy.
So, government has decided to let us have our guns during an “emergency,” since, while we’re busy fighting for our lives we probably won’t have any thoughts about overthrowing any government entity. When things are going smoothly, that’s when the government has something to worry about, and that’s why they can still take our guns pretty much whenever they want.
Rest easy, America. The government is proving that they may, if the mood strikes, fight for your constitutional rights during hurricanes, nuclear attacks or earthquakes. Aside from that, you and your rights are still fair game.
By the way, who gets to constitute what is or isn’t an “emergency”? Here’s a hint: Not you.
Many of us consider some of the tripe that comes out of Congress to be a major emergency, but that’s why we’re not the ones who get to decide.
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Stumble It!
July 26th, 2006 at 9:15 am
“From my cold, dead, hands!”
July 26th, 2006 at 10:44 am
If someone comes to take MY guns then I will gladly give them back… 77gr at a time.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
So why did this not happen in New Orleans? Exactly HOW did the NOPD ACTUALLY get the lawfully owned firearms OUT of the hands of private citizens without receiving the AMMUNITION FIRST? At HIGH SPEED? And what kind of dumb as doorknobs voters re-elected Mayor “School Bus” Nagin anyway?
July 27th, 2006 at 9:46 am
I really would like to know how the NOPD got the weapons. The only way that I could possibly see police officers getting the weapons before recieving the ammo at high speed would be if they caught the home owner off guard (and probably with weapons drawn). When the cops show up who instantly thinks to shoot at them? I think that by the time the people realized what was going on it was already too late to defend themselves.
July 28th, 2006 at 9:11 am
I’m willing to bet it went down *exactly* like that, jsriolo.
That’s the problem with dependence on any gov’t agency, or high levels of dependence on anyone other than yourself.
You will second guess yourself, thinking the good guys are coming and everything’s all good now…instead of making it good yourself.
And we all know the “good” guys are in scarce supply.