The Patriot Post® · Gun Powder and Firearms: A Pandora's Box
The invention of gun powder and firearms is a given. That Pandora’s Box is open and cannot be closed, ever. Even if firearms were outlawed and ownership banned for every citizen, law enforcement official, and military in the world, that Pandora’s Box has already been opened. Even if every gun manufacturer in the world were to close down; destroy their formulas for gun powder, equipment and materials, and no longer make firearms, that Pandora’s Box has already been opened.
The fact is, if all the above were to happen and gun ownership banned, then truly only criminals would have guns. It is a fact that criminals don’t care about laws. If guns were to be banned worldwide they would still find a way. It may be a manufacturing plant in the middle of the rain forest in South America or Asia but as long as the knowledge is there, even if the major manufacturers aren’t, there would still be firearms. Probation didn’t work and we can’t stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs into the United States, how would we stop a flow of illegal guns? I believe there would also be small garage and basement shops where someone would make guns and ammunition and sell to the highest bidder. The highest bidder would obviously be a criminal because law abiding citizens wouldn’t purchase illegal firearms. Illegal firearms will be available even if all guns are banned because that Pandora’s Box has already been opened. We cannot uninvent gun powder or firearms.
If you want to live in a world where only criminals have firearms then by all means support stricter gun control or total bans on firearms. You can bet the criminals support strict gun control and may be writing to Congress and may be actively working to get uninformed law abiding citizens to support gun control. Gun control laws can only help the criminals be more successful with less potential harm coming to them. Of course it also helps big government because it gives government more control over the people and in today’s world control over “The People” is what government is all about.
Gun control and gun free zones don’t work. What convoluted thought process convinces law makers that “gun free zones” are going to stop those who would violate the law? Those poor unrealistic individuals with their head in the sand think it makes sense to ban firearms in specific areas. How has that worked for society? The gun free zones are just target rich environments and only get more people killed, usually children. Instead of admitting they have made a mistake our law makers ratchet up the blame game and try to convince the ignorant or uninformed that guns are to blame for the disaster and stricter gun control laws will fix the problem.
Why don’t we hear about the numerous incidents of lawful use of firearms to stop crime? Why? Because it doesn’t conform to the liberal news media agenda and it doesn’t sell! Sadly, children being killed by a deranged shooter makes news but a lawful concealed carry permit holder stopping a crime in progress, often without firing a shot, is not newsworthy.
Instead of placing blame where it belongs, the shooter, our law makers and news media traditionally blame guns, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and concealed carry laws. When was the last time we heard of a member of the NRA or a concealed carry permit holder involved in a firearms related crime? I haven’t heard of any such occurrence. You know if this did happen the news media would be all over it for weeks. We haven’t heard of any such occurrence because members of the NRA and concealed carry permit holders are not deranged killers, they are generally among the countries most law abiding citizens. Those with carry permits have to be or they wouldn’t be issued the permit.
So why are gun control advocates so against the NRA and the idea of a concealed carry permit? Simply, those who are the most strident against private gun ownership often base their arguments on emotion and not fact. When they argue gun control they are most often quoting what someone told them without checking the validity of those facts or they are quoting research that is based on false or skewed data that they have not themselves verified. I am often amazed by the lack of knowledge some of these people have about firearms but how informed they believe they are. Many don’t own any firearms and don’t understand firearms. They don’t like what they don’t understand so they don’t want anyone to have what they don’t understand.
Pandora’s Box of gun powder and firearms has been opened and can’t be closed. Rational, logical and factual argument does not work against the irrational fear and prejudice of the gun control advocates and the uninformed who are their sheep. In standing up for the Second Amendment we must remain calm, continue to fight fantasy with fact, and consider any day we can win even one to understanding the intent of the Second Amendment a good day and a job well done.