Primary Arms

No One Is Coming To Take Your Guns - Until They Are...

Well, at least they are being honest...

A few days ago, Congressman Eric Swalwell, a minor Democrat from the People’s Republic of California, stated a desire to pass legislation designed not only ban so-called “assault weapons”, but confiscate them either by a forced compensated turn-in scheme (I hate the term “buyback”), or by pure naked aggression itself.

Since the unfortunate tragedy at Parkland, the opposition has started to drop the pretenses and have demanded the outright banning and confiscation of currently lawfully-owned semi-automatic rifles that happen to fit a certain cosmetic description, aka “assault weapons”.

While legal precedent does allow for the government to deprive citizens of their property with “just” compensation, traditionally with firearms, existing weapons prior to a ban are usually grandfathered in, i.e. current owners can hang onto their guns, albeit with restrictions on transfer and usually requirements for registration or some other statist nonsense.

Now it seems the dissembling guise of progressive ideology is slipping a bit. Swalwell’s plan is basically an Australian-style roundup, along with a threat of State violence to those who resist (wait, I thought #resist was a thing with the opposition?)a little too much.

Instead, we should ban possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons, we should buy back such weapons from all who choose to abide by the law, and we should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons. The ban would not apply to law enforcement agencies or shooting clubs.

Of course, agents of the State are exempt, as usual, and whatever the hell a “shooting club” ends up being defined as under his concepts.

But of course, “No one is coming to take your guns…”

Until They Are…

Swalwell’s attitude unfortunately isn’t as rare as you think. The attack comes from all levels of governance and society. From the local, as we see perennial Miami Beach Democratic candidate Rafael A Velasquez call for the repeal of the Second Amendment, which would of course clear the way for bans and uncompensated confiscation…

He wants to take your guns, even if he doesn't admit it in public...

To the state level, where in 2013, obviously after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Democratic politicians over a thousand miles away, with zero connection to Connecticut, introduced and tried to pass a bill that outlawed the possession of evil black rifles and their cousins.

To amend chapter 571, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the manufacture, import, possession, purchase, sale, or transfer of any assault weapon or large capacity magazine, with a penalty provision.

And most hilariously in the description:

A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned

OK wait, so the guns remaining should be dangerous to the user and put them at risk of being burned? They’re coming for our guns and the ones leftover are risky propositions to the operator. Nice.

To, of course, the federal level, where repeat-offender Dianne Feinstein was calling for confiscation as early as 1995…

If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them… ‘Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ’em all in, I would have done it. I could not do that. The votes weren’t here.

And of course, the top harridan, the scold of scolds, of the Democratic Party, HRC is all about the confiscation…

“I don’t know enough details to tell you how we would do it or how it would work, but certainly the Australia example is worth looking at,” Clinton said at a New Hampshire town hall on Friday…

Hill, didn’t Bill teach you that supporting gun control close to a federal election is political suicide? It’s how you guys lost Congress in 1996.

And of course, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in one of his less lucid moments, called for the repeal of the Second Amendment rather recently…

But the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment.

And lets be honest, I guarantee there’s a few Republicans out there who would love to repeal the Second and enact confiscation, but they know, for them, that it is political suicide. Drop me a line if you can find evidence of a Republican calling for such, by the way…

Politics And Culture Are Intertwined

Of course, it doesn’t stop with the politicians. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the virtue-signaling coming from the entertainment industry is nothing short of supremely irritating.

You guys did it here in one fell swoop [in 1996] and I wish that could happen in my country,

This little gem was spouted forth by Matt Damon, during a press tour of Australia back in 2016. Of course, he was heralding Australia’s forced compensated confiscation scheme after the Port Arthur incident back in 1996. Meanwhile, Damon employs armed security on a regular basis.

Of course, the call for confiscation is proffered along by the mainstream media.

Ultimately, if gun-control advocates really want to stanch the blood, there’s no way around it: They’ll have to persuade more people of the need to confiscate millions of those firearms, as radical as that idea may now seem

And it trickles down to the easily-swayed young folk, and those of a progressive bent.

His parents must be truly wonderful people to be around...

We'd maybe take your seriously if you would suit up, grab a gun, and come after us...

The revelation of supposedly-peaceful progressives as being violent is not surprising. Progressives love violence, as long as they can farm the work out.

The culture war goes deeper, and has been for awhile…

The society of the late 20th century America is perhaps the first in
human history where most grown men do not routinely bear arms
on their persons, and boys are not regularly raised from childhood
to learn skill in the use of some kind of weapon, either for community or personal defense. - Jeff Cooper

For background, Colonel Jeff Cooper is regarded as the “father of the modern handgun technique”, and established the traditions of instruction that continue today in reputable firearms training courses. In other words, Colonel Cooper knew a thing or two about guns.

I had the good fortune of having an older relative instruct me in the basics of firearms handling, which in 1980s Upstate New York, was increasingly becoming a rarity. Though I didn’t own a firearm of my own until much later, I consider myself lucky to have been instructed in their usage and safe handling. Guns were not demonized in my life. I saw their utility for civil defense, personal defense, and yes, recreation. Hey, I’m not gonna lie, guns are fun!

However, as Cooper noted, it’s increasingly rare that young people are being raised with the basics of firearms handling and safety. Even worse, they aren’t even being raised with a basic knowledge of the right to keep and bear arms. I’m not bothered if someone has a gun or not. The right to keep and bear arms also means one has the right not to have a gun. Your life, your choice. However, young people are increasingly being taught that guns are “evil” and that the right to keep and bear arms is really a “privilege”.

What Can Be Done?

Of course, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance against those who wish to take it away from you. There will never be a day where we can all just kick back, open up a few beers, and not have to worry about the various harridans, scolds, and sociopaths calling for and trying to enact gun confiscation.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is the Non-Aggression Principle.

In a nutshell, we can’t physically remove people for the mere act of advocating gun control and confiscation, even though helicopter jokes are hilarious.

Even if laws enabling gun confiscation are passed, we can’t preemptively strike at those who mean to follow through with confiscation. Basically to keep everything on the up-and-up, we have to assume a defensive posture, at least where force is concerned.

Where we can go full-tilt though, is in the arena of speech and persuasion. Burn up those phones and email inboxes. Contact your representatives - at all levels and of all political persuasions. Even if your local rep is a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, make your thoughts heard.

Counter the culture war with a culture war of your own. Bring people to the range, normalize firearms ownership and use in your peer group and community. Again, that doesn’t mean everyone in your group needs to have a gun, it just means they need to be respectful of the right. And if they go out and buy a gun, even better.

Some may argue that firearms are a negation of the right to live. Yes, we all have a right to life, which means we have the right to defend it, by any means necessary. Defending your life doesn’t mean you have the right to remove someone else’s right to defend theirs. You have every right not to buy a gun and either cross your fingers and hope the cops show up, or let the help take care of it. You don’t have the right to tell me I can’t pick up a firearm and take personal responsibility for my own life. The crux of this good argument is the value of life. Those of us who own and carry firearms love life. So much that we’re willing to spend a great deal of money in our equipment and training to do so.

Soap box, ballot box, ammo box. Apply in that order. And hopefully the process never gets to “ammo box”.

What If…

OK, what if the unthinkable happens. Either through illegal executive fiat or through illegal legislation, the right to keep and bear arms is suppressed at the government level in this country. The biggest thing to remember in that case is that the Second Amendment is an acknowledgement of a natural right. It’s not a “law” where the government grants us the right. There’s a reason we are a constitutional republic and not a democracy, and that is to protect our rights from the vagaries of mob rule. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding on what to have for dinner. A constitutional republic has a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Let’s not kid ourselves though. For all the bluster of “III%” and Gadsden Flag-wavers, I’d expect many gun owners would roll over and comply if a confiscation/mandatory turn-in order were handed down. Statism is that virulent in our country. However, that would still leave a lot of “resisters” out there.

That being said, a confiscation run wouldn’t be a smoothly-executed 3AM operation all at once. In states where out-and-out bans and registrations have been enacted, the police usually deal with it as they come across it, and aren’t specifically targeting scofflaw gun owners. Even if the government were, it wouldn’t be a one-night operation. Expect plenty of media-hyped “security measures”, as well as things like snitch lines. Yes, you probably won’t be able to trust your neighbor at a certain point.

Of course the measures will be incremental. I’m talking to you, Fudds. The first domino to fall, obviously, will be evil black rifles. Then, assuredly, handguns. After that, ridiculous measures like “any gun with a scope” will be considered an illegal sniper rifle, that sort of thing. So yes, Fudds, even your Remington 700 isn’t safe.

The nature of the operations though means that noncompliance will be the norm. Already, in states like New York, compliance with registration requirements (which set the stage for confiscation) is abysmally low, at roughly 4 percent.

So yes, if the unthinkable happens, do not comply. Keep your guns. Sure, the penalties will be harsh, but part of the reason we own guns is to defend ourselves against government overreach. In consideration of the purported penalties, at that point, feel free to un-cripple your guns even.

In the very end, shoot back.

I hope it never comes to that, and neither should you. I hope the future of gun ownership in this country is a stellar one, where we can obtain the guns we want, whenever we want, in the context of a peaceful and prosperous society where individual rights are respected.

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