Originally Posted By: Wolfgang
I have every right to protect myself and my family.
I think this is the root of the issue. If the ability to live my life is indeed an inalienable right then how can anyone tell me that I don't have the right to defend it against someone who wants to take it away from me? Removing your ability to defend yourself against a foe who, while paying no heed to the law, would take your life, is tantamount to the theft of your right to life.

I respect and support my police force, however, they are crime solvers not stoppers. Knowing the police are there works as a deterrent much of the time, but when it doesn't and seconds count, they are at least minutes away. So, you cannot use the police force as an excuse to take away my ability to defend myself. Furthermore, even if the police were omnipresent and could stop every crime, how then would you protect yourself against an out of control government that has decided to use the police force to quell any resistance to their dictates? Do you depend on the goodness of the police and military to stand up to the government in your favor? I think history, past and present, would show the naivete of that line of reasoning.

There is a little country on your northern border Mithus called Venezuela where I'm sure they would love to be able to speak out against their leader, but every time anyone tries they end up "missing" or have everything taken from them.

As to the ability to own automatic firearms or explosives like grenades, there really is no need (although there is no need to ban them either except to make the government "more equal"). History is replete with instances of smaller less well armed, but determined forces claiming victory over larger, more well armed and armored foes. The U.S.A. is here today because of one such example. Can we as citizens mobilize and fight back immediately against our government or the U.N. if something unthinkable were to happen? No. But those of us who have given every eventuality a little thought will be damn good at guerrilla warfare and will eventually be able to organize and take back our country from the hands of whatever despot seizes control.

Though I hope with every fiber of my being to never be faced with that scenario, it is the height of folly to fail to prepare for every conceivable scenario. All of the success gurus like to say, "failure to plan is planning to fail." I happen to think that's pretty accurate, but I learned it from my parents and had it reinforced by the boy scouts long before I ever heard of Steven Covey or Zig Ziggler.

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