Thursday, October 02, 2008

The Militia is You

By Larken Rose

The purpose of the Second Amendment is to ensure that the People are able to protect themselves against tyrannical government.


Larken Rose

September 28, 2008 - Other than "THINK, dang it!," I rarely offer advice in my articles. I occasionally tell people things they should NOT do, like engaging in the cult ritual of voting, but now I'm going to urge you to do something very specific. But first, there are some conditions:

1) If you think that you might be capable of intentionally killing yourself, someone you love, or some other innocent person, ignore the rest of this message.

2) If you do NOT think you could ever kill anyone, even if it was necessary to defend you or your family or some other innocent person, ignore the rest of this message.

If you are mentally stable, and believe in the right of self- defense, here is my advice: BUY A GUN. But not just any gun. Buy a rifle, and make it one that you don't have to reload after one shot, or after five. The classic military-style rifles are nice, though plenty of hunting rifles fit the bill, too. (It's handy to have one that takes large-capacity ammunition magazines.) If you already have one, buy more ammo.

I am neither an expert on the various state laws about firearms, nor am I an expert on the zillions of different kinds of firearms, and which is better than another. (I have an AR-15, a Glock 26, and a Mossberg 12-gauge riot gun. Since the feds already know this, I don't care who else does.) My point is, in a way that won't get you arrested, get a gun that can hit things from pretty far away, a bunch of times, without reloading. Then find a place you can go to learn how to use the thing, and get good at it. (A lot of indoor shooting ranges aren't set up for rifle ammo.) And do it as soon as you can. If they could speak, I'm sure many millions of people who are now dead would agree with me when I say, "Get it now, BEFORE you're absolutely sure you need it." Because when you're convinced you need it, it will be too late.

Why am I telling you to do this? (No, I don't own stock in any gun manufacturing companies.) I'm saying this because I want you to have the ability to kill government enforcers, including both police and military. (For defense against common crooks, I wouldn't have suggested a rifle.) I know some consider it shocking to put it so bluntly, but that's exactly what the Second Amendment was made for: so the people always have the ability to kill government agents if it becomes necessary. No, I'm not telling you to go start gunning down feds, and I hope I never have to shoot anyone myself. Though it may seem counter-intuitive to some, often the ABILITY to use deadly force is what PREVENTS violence from occurring. (In most cases where a gun prevents a crime, merely displaying it is all it takes.)

While it may be shocking to some to hear me saying that I want you common folk to have the ability to forcibly resist your own "government," imagine the flip-side: Those in government saying, "We do NOT want you to have the means to resist us." If you ask me, THAT is something worth being shocked about. And if you consider yourself to be a good and responsible person, why would you NOT want to have the means to defend against tyranny? Maybe you just don't think you'd ever need that ability, but is there any reason to want to NOT have it? Aside from cowardice, is there some reason to WANT to be helpless and defenseless if things get really nasty?

Of the pro-freedom people I know personally, most do NOT own any firearms. Years back, when we would have an occasional get-together of freedom folk, we used to facetiously joke about what a sorry group of "extremists" we made, with only two of us owning guns. It's not that the others opposed private gun ownership; far from it. They just didn't grow up in a pro-gun culture, weren't into guns as a hobby, and never got to the point where they thought they needed one -- all of which is perfectly understandable. But now, in all sincerity, I would encourage all sane, responsible people who haven't done so already, to go buy a rifle that can be used in military-style combat. Then hope and pray that you never need to use it. (If you're still thinking, "Some day I probably will," just be sure that "some day" doesn't come one day too late.)

To end this message on an ironic note, in case anyone is thinking, "I'm not going to do that! I'm not some militia member or something!," I have some news for you: If you're male, and between 17 and 45 (or in the National Guard), you already ARE a member of the United States militia. At least, federal law says so (see 10 USC 311). So I'm sure everyone in Congress would be pleased as punch to find out that you've taken on the responsibility of arming and training yourself, to save them the trouble of having to do it. Wouldn't they?