Accept the fact that freedom is risky. If it weren’t risky, it wouldn’t be freedom.
Accept the fact that the very worst mass murders were not committed by gunmen, but arsonists, bombers, and pilots.
Jo Ed
June 29, 2015
Comment to LETTER: What gun control measures would work?
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
I think I’d amend that to say that the VERY worst mass murders were carried out by governments.
Individuals just can’t summon the scale and scope a nation-state can casually muster.
You’re right and you beat me to the comment.
I was actually going to say the worst mass murderers have all been ltyranical leftist politicians, but government is close enough.
To even get to the point where you’re asking “What gun control measures would work” (referring to violations of the right to keep and bear arms) you have to abandon the very concept of human rights. It’s like asking “Which children should we rape today” as a means of fixing some social or economic problem.
It’s ignoring the First Principles and looking only at second principles. Safety and security, such as are achievable, flow from the recognition and appreciation of human rights. Ignore the latter and you’ll surely not have the former.
Comparing it to business; It’s expecting the profit without considering either the product or service or the customer. We want the results without the things that lead to the results.
In secular terms it’s been stated;
Those who give up essential liberty for temporary security will have neither liberty nor security.
Jesus says the same thing thusly;
“Seek first the kingdom of Heaven and all other things are to be added” meaning that adherence to right principles is the goal and the achievement, and whatever wealth or little goodies or good fortunes you end up with are those things which flow simply and naturally from that adherence to principles.
Yesterday in an e-mail to an associate I applied it to politics;
“I could blame Republicans– You answer one little poll and then they pile on with e-mails (all some version of “Democrats suck – give us money”) and they never leave you alone, so I have spam to delete. Your message may have been lumped in with them in a deleting frenzy. I have frequently told them that the application of principles, and not my dollars, can defeat any threat to liberty, while dollars without applied principles are worthless. Either way then, they have no practical use for my money. If it is press attention they want then what better way to get all the free attention in the world (truly) than to actually uphold their Oath to the constitution? It would create a firestorm of free publicity, lasting for years and years.”