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Bang / Guns Title: The Single-Issue Trap The Single-Issue Trap There’s a smart way to fight for your liberty, and then there’s this way: In a case that could shape firearms laws nationwide, attorneys for the District of Columbia argued Thursday that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies only to militias, not individuals. ... If the dispute makes it to the high court, it would be the first case in nearly 70 years to address the amendment’s scope. The court disappointed gun owner groups in 2003 when it refused to take up a challenge to California’s ban on assault weapons. This reminds me of the time the National Rifle Association of America considered opposing Rep. Ron Paul R-Texas in his bid for re-election to Congress. The reason was his vote opposing H.R. 1036, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This is what Ron Paul had to say why he opposed H.R. 1036 “It is long past time for Congress to recognize that not every problem requires a federal solution. I would remind my fellow supporters of gun rights that using unconstitutional federal powers to restrict state gun lawsuits makes it more likely those same powers will be used to restrict our gun rights.” “Solutions” like this illustrate just how lost we are. For one thing, the California gun groups make their case to own guns based on the supremacy of the Federal government over local. Giving greater power and authority to the Federal government is the worst possible approach. An unlimited central government is historically the greatest threat to individual freedom. Second, this represents a mistaken notion of where our rights come from. The Bill of Rights was NOT a grant from the Federal government; it was a limitation on the authority of the Federal government. Fighting from a position without an historical or constitutional foundation is ultimately self-defeating. Finally, the most successful and inspirational stands for freedom were fought from the local level, within well-organized outposts resisting distant, central control. Look at the Founding Fathers, who fought the British crown to reclaim their traditional rights. Look at our Confederate forefathers seeking to reclaim their rights under the Constitution by asserting the sovereignty of the States. Look at the nationalist movements in the old Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, the British empire, and Canada – they all reached out to their people through the means their people recognized as legitimate – the existing social and political institutions. In 1776, British tyranny was denounced in the colonial assemblies authorized by His Royal Majesty. In 1861, Yankee tyranny was denounced in the State legislatures that elected Senators tot the Federal Congress. Even in Eastern Europe, the patriots who were determined to free their people from Soviet tyranny operated within the established public institutions, including the labor unions, churches, and later, local representative bodies. The mistake these gun rights groups are making demonstrates the futility of “single-issue” politics—another case in point for culture-based activism. Posted by Mike Tuggle on 12/12 at 04:52 AM
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