The Second Amendment - A Moral Imperative
With a record number of mass shootings happening this year, social media and traditional media are being flooded with a recurring theme - “Ban Assault Weapons.” Some people’s first question would be, “What is an assault weapon?” Or maybe they ask how the individual received said firearm, or maybe they are saying that it’s all barbaric and we should have no firearms at all. Currently, there is no shortage of personal takes on firearms, proposed regulations regarding them, or outright calls for altogether banning them.
There are many articles containing facts pushing the argument left or right. There are even more articles throwing numbers, factoids, and statistics advocating for or against firearms. For me, these articles and the facts they push are moot because having a firearm is a moral imperative. A moral imperative that every single Floridian and every single American should adhere to.
But why is it a moral imperative? What is a moral imperative? Why do I not care about the facts or statistics pushing this argument a certain way?
Let’s break down these questions and address the elephant in the room.
The term “moral imperative” combines two words - moral and imperative.
Moral - concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.
Imperative - of vital importance; crucial.
Essentially, a moral imperative is something that is of vital importance concerning the principles of right and wrong.
The Second Amendment, thus, is a moral imperative. It is something of vital importance, and it creates the idea that those for it are morally right while those against it are morally wrong. That is a VERY bold statement, but let me explain.
The Second Amendment creates two very different positions regarding believers of the right to bear arms. Obviously, the issue contains more nuance than just two sides, but the primary argument is whether a person has the right to own firearms or does not have the right to own firearms. It is a moral imperative because a firearm is an equalizer of force. An argument could be made for a knife or club or some other self-defense item - but only a firearm will do. A firearm negates muscle. It negates special combat skills. It negates physical limitations. It negates physical disabilities. It negates everything that could stand between two people and death.
“A firearm, though, inflicts deadly force!” Yes, it does. It is meant to. A firearm is the epitome of “FAFO” or, forgive my wording, “Fuck around and find out.”
“A person doesn’t have the right to take another man’s life!” If that other man intends to inflict deadly harm on the first man, yes, he does. If that second man intends to break into the home of the first, rape his wife, and kill his child, yes, he does. If the second man intends to aggress the first, then yes, he does. A firearm is a great equalizer of force. It also enforces manners. An armed society is a polite society. With many people armed and carrying, fewer criminals want to take the chance of getting shot while performing a crime.
“More guns means more mass shootings will happen!” That isn’t true. Gun-free zones cause mass shootings to happen. Gun-free zones are where the majority of gun violence takes place. Gun-free zones are in every school, every courthouse, every bar, and every public area inside of a city. All of these places are locations for mass shooting events. A gun-free zone is the ask that you surrender your right to self-defense and self-determination in the vein hope that someone else will provide it for you. A gun-free zone is the ask that you suspend your belief that you are primarily responsible for yourself and your family’s self-defense. A gun-free zone is the ask that you value the lives of others over your own.
A gun-free zone is the ask that you value someone else’s rights over yours and that you sacrifice your family to looters and thieves. It’s the ask that you place over your own needs and your requirements for safety, the value that others mean more than you do. It’s the ask that a person without a firearm is more trustworthy than someone with one, while the one without steals from you the right that is so rightfully yours.
It is the idea that a person who carries a firearm is more dangerous than those who don’t. It is the idea that those who carry firearms are more mentally unstable than those who don’t. It creates a false equivalence that not defending yourself - to prefer suicide or the loss of something or someone of value to you - is a virtue that should be exalted. It’s the idea that those who died in mass shootings are somehow martyrs to the progressive belief that being undefended is a value.
Let me tell you what is valuable to me, and it’s a concise list:
My family and chosen family (which includes my pets).
My home and my belongings.
My life and liberty.
I will give my life and liberty for my family, my chosen family, my home, and my belongings. I will give my home and my belongings for my family and my chosen family. But I will not sacrifice my family or my chosen family to anything or anyone. They are not for sale. They are not able to be negotiated for. They are not in bounds, and they are not up for debate.
The Second Amendment is a moral imperative because if you believe that someone else holds more value than your family or even your children, why do you even matter? Why do you even EXIST? You believe that someone who steals from you is more valuable than the hours you spent to get the money to purchase the item you just had stolen from you. You believe that someone who kills your child is more valuable than the child you just had stolen from you. You believe that the home that is supposed to be your fortress and your sanctuary is open to all and holds no value for you because if you cannot defend your home, then why do you care to continue to pay the mortgage or the rent?
The Second Amendment is a moral imperative because it supposes the idea that the progressives will be seen for what they are - charlatans and hypocrites. They are looters and thieves who want nothing more than to steal from you the value you hold in some moral ambiguity that says you don’t need it when others need it.
I do not hold the idea that other’s need is justification for sacrificing my value.
Need is not justification for aggression. Need is not a justification for sacrifice. Need is not a justification for losing your loved ones. Need is not a justification for anything other than to put in the hard work and GET IT YOURSELF.
The Second Amendment is a moral imperative because you have a right to a firearm. You have a right to self-defense and self-determination. You have a right to protect the value that you hold. You have a right to be secure in all your effects on your person and without. You have a right to ensure the defense of your property and all of your guests, all the members of your household, and all of your property.
And anyone who says you do not is wrong and evil.
“But what about X-type of weapon?”
I said what I said. If it is a firearm, I have the right to it, and so does everyone else. Assault weapons are already banned. Assault weapons, unlike the modern definition, are actually “machine guns” or fully automatic rifles, which are less accurate and pose no more of a threat than standard weaponry. This ban should be repealed, as well as the NFA (National Firearms Act). Any gun law IS AN INFRINGEMENT. It is an infringement because it creates a barrier for a person to own a firearm. It poses a barrier to the practice of a right that a person has naturally.
Why do I not care about facts, statistics, or opinions on this? Because of what I said above. My right to self-defense, self-determination, and the exercise thereof is not up for debate. It’s not for facts or statistics or opinions to attempt to change my mind. Holding victims of mass shootings as martyrs for the progressive anti-gun agenda isn’t moral or right. It is wrong, and if those individuals were alive, they would ask the same question: “Why didn’t you defend me?” “Why didn’t you do something?” “Why didn’t you stand up and say, ‘No! I hold value on that person’s life!’”
Take the time to hug your family and your pets tonight, and tell me tomorrow that you don’t hold enough value on them to defend them.
The Second Amendment is, thus, a moral imperative.
