[Rhodes22-list]Guns and Politics

[Robert Skinner]

Roger Pihlaja wrote:
> ...  Knowing there are 200+ million guns out there
> has got to cause any overly ambitious politician a
> moment's reflection.  The 2nd amendment is really
> the ultimate check and balance on government power.
> For all the trouble that widespread gun ownership
> causes, it's still worth it.

Unfortunately, Roger, the lethality of weapons available 
to anyone in government far outstrips that available to the 
citizens.  

The 2nd amendment was written in before machine guns 
were invented, or bazookas, for that matter.  The 
unavailability of these weapons to the general populace 
nullifies their ability to resist tyranny, rendering the 
2nd amendment moot in that regard.

The restrictions are supposed to prevent your average 
nut case (or person with a cause) from doing severe harm 
to large numbers of the general populace.  So they use
ammonium nitrate, fuel oil, and a truck.  The criminals 
are generally satisfied with a Mac-10 or Uzi-like weapon -
the same ones that require a special license and tax stamp
for the honest citizen to acquire.

Fortunately, we still have the option of defending our
homes while the police are busy busting people for 
victimless crimes defined by do-good legislators 
pandering after easy votes from overly righteous citizens.

Let us hope that this right does not follow the others 
heaved over the side by our representatives in the 
oh-so-misnamed Patriot Act

-- 
Robert Skinner, "Squirrel Haven"
9 Gateway Commons, Gorham, ME 04038-1331