Protecting Against the Oppressive Government

The Libertarian Solution published an article exhorting the fact that an "armed citizenry is the last resort against oppression; the right to bear arms is the freedom from which all other freedoms flow."

The article written by a young-looking Austin Raynor, draws on the writing of the Founding Fathers.

As George Washington wrote, “A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.” George Mason said, “I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.”

And before anyone can object that these guys were 18th century slave owners who denied human rights even to women and anything they had to say over 200 years ago should have little relevance in today's society, Mr. Raynor breaks out the "modern" examples.

History has borne out this observation. Genocide is almost always preceded by disarmament of the intended victims. Adolf Hitler, following the institution of strict gun control legislation in Germany in 1935, proclaimed: “This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!”

After legislating gun control in 1929, the Soviet government murdered 20 million of its own people. Turkey implemented gun control in 1911 and shortly thereafter murdered 1.5 million Armenians. Gun ownership was also outlawed prior to widespread executions in China, Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Uganda. Over the past 100 years over 56 million people have been killed by their own governments.

As if reading my mind, anticipating every rebuttal, he goes on to say.

Genocide is unlikely to occur in the United States, though it is important to note that Germans in the 1920s possessed similar sentiments concerning their own country. Short of genocide, however, but frightening nonetheless, is the boundless usurpation of liberty that occurs under a government that knows no bounds. Thomas Jefferson aptly observed: “When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

Now we're talking, "Genocide is unlikely to occur in the United States." All reasonable people know this. So what's the problem then? The problem is, in Austin Raynor's own words, "the boundless usurpation of liberty that occurs under a government that knows no bounds."

So, my question to him and all the other hard-line Libertarians and 3%ers out there, what are you planning on doing with all your guns about this? The "usurpation of liberty" is a gradual business, which by the way, enjoyed great popularity under President Bush. When are you protectors of liberty going to open fire?

My feeling reading this article and whenever I hear the tough talk from these people is that they live in a fantasy world, one in which they will one day have to stand up against overwhelming odds and if necessary go down in a blaze of glory. With most of them it's something I call "grandiose victimism." In some cases, the truly disturbed ones, they actually believe they'll come out on top in an all out war with the oppressive government, a modern version of the colonists vs. the redcoats.

The problem is, none of these people should have guns because they're too unstable and dangerous. I covered them in my very popular analysis entitled The Famous 10%.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.