Text version, reprinted with author's permission
"Act now to prevent unnecessary new firearms legislation
According to US Census data, there were 226 million Americans between age 18 and 84 in the year 2011 (the most recent year for which data is available). In the 2012 presidential election, 127 million Americans voted. This suggests that approximately 100 million were silent. Is it any wonder that we frequently find ourselves disenchanted with our governing officials, when more than 40% of voting-age citizens decline to participate in the democratic process?
The popular vote in 2012 was 65.9 million for Barack Obama vs. 60.9 million for Mitt Romney (52% vs. 48%, respectively). This is a close margin, easily turned by a grassroots effort to combat voter apathy by uniting Americans in a national effort to stand against ineffective governance.
There are ~75 million gun owners in America. The National Rifle Association (NRA) claims 4.3 million paying members, which is only 5.7% of the estimated gun-owning population. Why so few?
Many government officials and journalists seem determined to infringe on our right to keep and bear arms, some with the goal of eventually banning all firearms. This is bad governance and bad press and the American People do not have to tolerate it.
Ownership and use of firearms is a right that American citizens are born with, no different from Freedom of Speech or Religion. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting or sports competition. It was written into the Bill of Rights in 1791 for the sole purpose of creating a civilian militia empowered to stand against tyrannical government. It works perfectly. No government can subject an armed populace to authoritarian rule.
I personally own all types of firearms and magazines, I keep them locked in a safe, and I will never use them in criminal acts because I am not a criminal. My possession and use of these firearms is not a threat to the safety of any law abiding citizen nor the security of any righteous government. I am unwilling to relinquish any part of my 2nd Amendment right in deference to a vocal minority who may dislike the color of my rifle or the capacity of my magazine. I am far from alone.
In a curiously circular fashion, my 2nd Amendment right is the final barrier to a government who would attempt to remove it. More than anything else, this is why I stand. It is my responsibility as a citizen of this nation to prevent my government from eroding the one right that guarantees my perpetual freedom. There are many who categorically disagree with my position and my beliefs. Their fervent desire to force me to join them in disarmament is meaningless to me. I challenge that faction to abandon their habit of ad hominem attack, to learn instead the value and the method of logical argument, to study the history of the cyclic rise and fall of tyrannical governments, to engage in the process of civilized discourse, and to make themselves satisfied with its outcomes.
There has never been and will never be an intelligent reason for banning or restricting individual ownership of firearms in a democratic republic of free men and women. Tragedies like Newtown can be prevented with no infringement on any right or principle established by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Our society is apparently burdened by a growing host of ailments, one manifestation of which are the alienated criminals who periodically perpetrate mass murder against defenseless victims. Until such time that our society can heal itself to the point that these attacks again become nonexistent, our government should have a role in establishing protections for obvious "targets of opportunity". The airline industry is a good example: armed pilots and air marshals have been an effective deterrent to hijacks over American soil since 2001.
Government cannot however fix social problems that become inherent to its people. Government cannot legislate good values, healthy family structure, or good upbringing. It would be a bad idea to rely on government for determining who is and is not insane. These are problems that we as a people must address ourselves, within our community organizations, our churches, our hospitals, and our privately organized and operated outreach programs. We must retake our schools at the Parent-Teacher Association and Board levels to reestablish effective discipline and curriculum in a clean moral environment.
We must also consider why we choose to consume media products such as violent television shows, movies and video games. Our press seems to dwell on violent tragedy to the point of exhaustion, but only because we spend time and resources to consume that type of media.
Our government was not established to support us economically or to provide us with moral guidance. We the People are responsible for supporting ourselves and for identifying and reversing harmful trends in our society, just as we are responsible for preventing our government from growing out of control. The time to start is now because our government is presently working to remove a keystone of permanent democracy.
The idea of new gun legislation is an ill considered knee-jerk reaction to a recent tragedy. It is purely symbolic in nature, and will do nothing to stem the tide of mass violence.
Law enforcement response to criminal incidents cannot be instantaneous. At a minimum, it takes several minutes to establish an initial law enforcement presence at the scene of a reported crime. In those minutes, a madman has ample time to perpetrate an act of mass violence with a single-shot firearm, a golf club, gasoline, or even a knife, such as was seen in China on the same day as the Newtown tragedy. The point is that the type of weapon employed in these attacks is not the critical issue. What is more important is why these attacks are occurring, and how our government can assist in preventing them until our society has time to address the ills that lead to their occurrence.
To prevent unnecessary new guns laws being foisted upon us by a vocal anti-gun minority, we need a grassroots uprising of Americans to organize effectively against these proposed new policies. Fortunately, the infrastructure for this effort is already in place. A handful of national organizations already maintain an effective presence supporting our 2nd Amendment right in Washington and in our court system. The NRA is the largest pro-gun lobby in the nation, and has supported education, conservation, and sport-shooting programs for over a century. The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has a track record of effective litigation against restrictions on gun ownership. Gun Owners of America (GOA) describes itself as a "No Compromise" lobby, helping to clarify critical issues in the gun-ownership debate.
As evidenced by the current gun-buying spree, Americans are willing to vote on the issue of gun ownership with their dollars. Rather than paying inflated prices for last-minute magazines, why not pay $60 to join all three aforementioned organizations? The size and frequency of donations are less important than swelling the ranks of these organizations to the point that they accurately represent the voice and political weight of American gun owners. If we make our voice heard, there will be no new gun legislation and no need for panic buying at inflated prices.
If you are not currently registered to vote, go register today. Become a regular voter. Most importantly, talk with your friends and your family members and encourage every gun owner you know to vote and at a minimum, to become an associate member of the NRA (a $10 annual membership fee).
If every gun owner in the country joined the NRA, their membership rolls would exceed the total number of citizens who voted for Barack Obama in the last election. It's easy to laugh at that notion, but then again, a thing like this is exactly how a democratic republic reclaims its representative government. Numbers matter. A minority dissenting voice is quickly silenced by an overwhelming democratic vote. Act now.
© David Spaugh
Baker City, OR
January 7, 2013"
