Recently a conversation with an American friend.
Who made a blunt statement when talking about having guns.
He said that if a burglar enters his garage to steal, he wouldn't mind.
But if that burglar enters his house, he would shoot him.
The friend is probably not the only American who has the opinion that the right to have a gun and to use it to defend property is a fundamental right.
Including the right to decide about life and death of another human being if for example that person wants to steal the DVD-player.
This idea to have the right to carry a gun to defend oneself originates from the beginnings of the USA.
But we should ask ourselves if this did not get out of hands.
We may wonder for example if the weapons that are for sale these days in the USA are all designed for defending life and property.
If a catalogue of a weapon shop is studied, one sees many weapons not to defend but to make war.
Another vital issue is that to have the right to posses guns to defend life and property is not as Thomas Jefferson envisaged it.
He said:
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government"
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1 Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334.
Clearly he states that the weapons one is to have are to protect against the tyranny in government.
Not against the DVD-player thief.
And check what George Washington had to say about this matter:
"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good"
-- George Washington
His concept that a society where firearms are anywhere and everywhere, paints a militaristic state.
Where people keep themselves in control through fear, violence and killing.
Washington's is a barbaric way of thinking falsely supposing that evil interference can be neutralized and stopped by firearms.
"All that is good" is never thinking in terms of firearms, and conflict solving through brute violence.
A society is likely to be harmonious and peaceful without that anywhere and everywhere are firearms.
A burglar gets into a house to steal.
The house owner wakes up, grabs his gun and kills the intruder.
Now the house and gun owner lives knowing he has killed a man.
How will that feel?
.
4 comments:
It would feel great. Besides, the intruder was there to torture, rape and murder your family. And take your DVD.
Well, our American thinking may be flawed, but history shows that other systems don't always work out so well either.
It's what the USA was founded on--after all, the basis of this country is radical independence. Guns in the hands of the citizens are our own form of "insurance" against a government run amok.
How is one to know if taking a dvd player is their only motive, when this
http://www.wmur.com/news/21213678/detail.html
may be what the really want to do.
An intruder in the night in my home has no rights. He gets what he gets. He came with evil intent. The violated should 2nd guess his motives for moral reasons?? Be a bleeding heart and be a fool!
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