Monday, March 19, 2018

Who Would Win?

Who would win a battle between an AR-15 and a nuclear arsenal?

One of the more odious forms of logic given for owning a small arsenal of weapons is that governments fear a "well-armed society" and that the government would be afraid to mess with its own citizenry for fear of armed reprisal.

This logic is odious in a number of ways.  First, it presupposes that governments are by their nature, evil and "out to get" the citizenry.   This is a particularly dastardly argument given that our government is an elected one, and the "swamp" in Washington is one that we, as citizens, created.   Politicians are more afraid of public opinion polls than they are of armed resistance.

The ludicrous aspect of the argument is that somehow, a rag-tag untrained militia of a few thousand people with a few guns each, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, can out-gun and out-fight the largest professional army on the planet.   Our armed forces have a budget larger than the next eight largest countries - combined.    You are going to out-gun that with your Wal-Mart gun?   I don't think so.

Taking aside the American military, it is doubtful that such a "militia" could even take on American law enforcement.   While the actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco are the subject of much debate and criticism, no one doubts who the eventual winner was in the end.   You cannot "hole up" and "hold out" with your arsenal of puny weapons forever.

So the argument is nonsensical.   It resonates, however, with a certain type of self-appointed "patriot" who, far from being patriotic, seems to find delight in running down his native country, form of government, and society - probably instigated by Russian trolls on the odious websites he visits.

Our freedoms begin at the voting booth, not at the gun show.   And freedom at gunpoint is not freedom at all.   Because if given a chance, the type of government that these self-appointed patriots would install, would not be very democratic whatsoever.

There are legitimate reasons for owning a gun.   You may want to go hunting.  You may need it to dispatch rabid racoons, if you live in the country.  And yes, they can even be used for protection against burglars and whatnot, provided you use them carefully.   But armed insurrection against the U.S. Government?  That's not a legitimate reason to own a firearm.   And it's not a battle you'd have any chance of winning, whatsoever.

But, it probably sells a lot of firearms!