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Tragically, over the
Thanksgiving holiday, the world was reminded how evil and cruel people can
be. According to emerging accounts of the events in India, about a dozen well-armed and devastatingly well-trained terrorists laid siege on the city of Mumbai, killing almost two hundred people, and terrorizing thousands.
Regardless of the reasons, the
indiscriminate shooting on masses of unarmed and defenseless people is
chilling and reprehensible. How were these terrorists able to continue
so long, relatively unchallenged, killing so many?
India’s gun laws are her
business, of course. However, once the shock of these events and the
initial reaction of fear passes, Americans should take away a valuable lesson
about real homeland security and gun control from this tragedy.
Gun control advocates tell us
that removing guns from society makes us safer. If that were the case
why do the worst shootings happen in gun free zones, like schools? And
while accidents do happen, aggressive, terroristic shootings like this are
unheard of at gun and knife shows, or military bases. It bears
repeating that an armed society truly is a polite society.
The fact is that firearm
technology exists. It cannot be uninvented. As long as there is
metalworking and welding capability, it matters not what gun laws are imposed
upon law-abiding people. Those that wish to have guns, and disregard
the law, will have guns. Gun control makes violence safer and more
effective for the aggressive, whether the aggressor is a terrorist or a government.
History shows us that another
tragedy of gun laws is genocide. Hitler, for example, knew well that in
order to enact his “final solution,” disarmament was a necessary
precursor. While it is not always the case that an unarmed populace
WILL be killed by their government, if a government is going to kill its own
people, it MUST disarm them first so they cannot fight back. Disarmament
must happen at a time when overall trust in government is high, and under the
guise of safety for the people, or perhaps the children. Knowing that
any government, no matter how idealistically started, can become despotic,
the Founding Fathers enabled the future freedom of Americans by enacting the
second amendment.
In our own country, we should be
ever vigilant against any attempts to disarm the people, especially in this
economic downturn. I expect violent crime to rise sharply in the coming
days, and as states and municipalities are even more financially strained,
the police will be even less able or willing to respond to crime. In
many areas, local police could become more and more absorbed with revenue
generating activities, like minor traffic violations and the asset forfeiture
opportunities of non-violent drug offenses. Your safety has always,
ultimately been your own responsibility, but never more so than now. People
have a natural right to defend themselves. Governments that take that
away from their people should be highly suspect.
Ron Paul
www.house.gov/paul
Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today.
Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional
government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies
based on commodity-backed currency. For more information click on the Project Freedom website.
Published with the authorization of Dr. Paul.
Copyright Dr. Ron Paul
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