I am a fan of Thomas Jefferson. It may stem from the fact that I went to Thomas Jefferson junior high, who knows. The more I have read his words the more I like the guy. I am by no means a scholar of the man’s life or thoughts, but the parts I have learned are interesting. He was born in Virginia. He had a strong affinity towards books and reading. He had belief in God and considered himself a Christian, however he was not into the overly fanciful parts of the New Testament. So much so that Jefferson wrote a version of the New Testament where he removed all the miracles so there was, what he considered, to be the pure philosophy of Christ. He wrote the Declaration of independence. He served as president of the United States. He was best friends and political enemies with John Adams. He established The University of Virginia to be a pure place of higher learning. There was also a great dichotomy to the man. He wrote that all men are created equal and strived to change the laws on slavery during his time as the Governor of Virginia. Yet he kept many slaves to work his property. He gave his entire personal library to the Library of Congress, only to buy another personal library and die heavily in dept.
Because of its location, the Jefferson Monument enjoys a bit of a reverence not all the other monuments have. Inside the monument is a statue of the man and on the wall all around him are his words. In particular the words,
“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestor.”
Jefferson understood that as the United States evolved, there may come a time when changes might be needed to the constitution and the bill of rights. That as technology and opinions changed adjustments will be needed. I can only hope that those discussions can be had amicably by people seeking the honest truth. That is a tall order in DC most of the time. That is why I think we need to educate instead of demean. When people are led to understand something new, generally they get excited about it. When something is terrifying you will not get anyone to listen to facts. There are people who stick their head in the sand on both sides of the argument. That is not the way to improve things.
People no longer need guns as a way to get food. Gun homicide is so low that most people don’t realistically fear getting shot in their daily life. A lot of people go their entire lives without ever firing a weapon. We have a large police force in the United States and a lot of people put trust in them. Maybe not a lot of people under 30 years old or of color. For most guns are a type of hobby. Guns are a fun exercise on the weekends or a collectible. A lot of gun owners talk a big game but don't get adequate practice or training to be proficient while carrying their gun. If you carry and you are not shooting with a purpose, at minimum once a month, you are who I am talking about. So with all of that being said, do we still need the Second Amendment?
Hell yes. As long as there is potential for corruption in our government, we need it. As long as there are people who wish to disrupt our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, then we need it. As long as we have enemies in other lands, we will need it. I do wish we lived in a world where everyone could live without fear of oppression in all its forms. A place where weapons are only historical items and shooting is only done for sport. But we are not there yet. I feel we are moving closer which is admirable, but we still have work to do. If you are able to live that kind of life, then you are enjoying the benefits of the hard work of those who came before you and were not as fortunate. That lifestyle was not gotten for you easily. Building families, building communities and countries is not easy. Not everyone has the same vision. It’s hard and mostly thankless work. But the risk of shirking that responsibility is incredibly dangerous.
If you have read all the post to this point I would like to thank you. If you haven't, go read more of them! I know I am not perfect and I look forward to hearing feedback and reevaluating my beliefs and opinions. I expect the constitution to need further amendments. Moreover I know that this blog won’t stay relevant for more than a couple years. I feel we are on the precipice of a great change in the way we keep and bear arms. I will be surprised if we still use cartridges and projectiles past this century. I am excited for the changes. We should all be ready with informed opinions on how to move forward.
I did not intend to offend any particular group. I feel I am more critical on the Pro-Second Amendment culture than anyone else. That is because I expect more from us. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard because we are taking on greater responsibility. If you are not up for that responsibility, don’t own a gun. People turn to us for an explanation when they see tragedy's involving guns. We need to be empathetic to them. We need to be educated why the right to bear arms is so important. We have to be good ambassadors to or friends and neighbors who are interested. To the responsible gun guys out there, you are my inspiration. Thank you for teaching with open minds. Thank you for sharing without machismo and bravado. Thank you for keeping up to date on training and innovating tactics for the rest of us.
Subscribe below to follow my page and stay up to date on new legislation and interpretations of gun laws, as well as how to get involved in positively shaping your community.
Got something to say? Leave a comment. Thanks.