Topic: Gun Control
Guns and Defense Against the State
Present day Zimbabwe is a perfect example of what the founders of the United States had in mind when they devised the second amendment right to own guns. Let’s face it, Zimbabwe is suffering from mischief at the hands of Robert Mugabe and is in dire need of a revolution.
by Kenn Jacobine
(libertarian)
Sunday, April 20, 2008

In the United States, gun ownership was considered such an important right that the founders included it in the Bill of Rights right behind freedom of speech, dissent and religion. The founders of the United States knew that gun ownership (voluntary ownership) was a natural right equal to the other above mentioned rights. They also knew that human nature has the potential for mischief. To guard against mischief thievery, foreign invasion, and usurpation of rights, citizens needed a means to defend themselves. Voila, the right to not only keep, but also bear arms was born.

Present day Zimbabwe is a perfect example of what the founders of the United States had in mind when they devised the second amendment right to own guns. Let's face it, Zimbabwe is suffering from mischief at the hands of Robert Mugabe and is in dire need of a revolution. Contrary to what Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa, has recently said about there not being a crisis in Zimbabwe, the country is in a horrendous condition. Shelves are empty in stores; inflation is at a phenomenal 100,000 percent; and people are resorting to eating giraffes for sustenance. In spite of this grotesque situation, Mugabe will be able to steal yet another election and continue the genocide against his people that he and his henchmen commenced about a decade ago. The country needs a revolt, but chances are slim and none that it will happen from within. Why? Because the average Zimbabwean does not possess the means to make it happen. They are not allowed to own guns.

The last time an effective revolt could have taken place in Zimbabwe was 1999. That was the year before the Mugabe regime began seizing commercial farms and redistributing them to his cronies and military backers. The economic consequence of this policy has been devastating, but that is not the point of this article. The point is that as the government was confiscating farms it was also canceling gun licenses and seizing firearms to ensure a smooth functioning of the land redistribution scheme. Then in 2005 another round of gun take ways took place. According to one anonymous government source at the time, "The ban is targeted at all automatic weapons which the government fears could pose a security threat in the country should the civil strife in Zimbabwe turn violent". All smart dictators know that when you take away guns from the citizenry you take away one of the few resources they have to guarantee their rights. In addition to Zimbabwe, look at China, Iran, Burma, Cuba, and North Korea for proof.

Unfortunately, the time for average Zimbabweans to learn this lesson is past. Their guns and therefore the means to end crimes committed against them by their own government are lost. This lesson, however, should not be lost on those that still possess the right to defend themselves against mischief both foreign and domestic. Because, in the words of George Washington: "A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."

Kenn Jacobine teaches History and English for the American International School of Lusaka, Zambia. Send him email at lovesliberty@gmail.com.

©2008 Kenn Jacobine, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Sunday, April 20, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, April 20, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of Kenn Jacobine only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Kenn Jacobine is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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Reader Comments:

Posted By: Carter
Date: 2008-04-20 12:39:04

While I agree that it is better to fight before you are deprived of "the means of effectual resistance", I disagree that it is ever too late to fight back.

Take the Jews who were being marched to gas chambers by soldiers with no round in the chamber. Many Concentration Camp photos show the hammers DOWN on the guards' weapons (which means they weren't cocked or ready to fire).

In the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising they used Grandma's old revolver (only good for one or two shots) to get machineguns and grenades.

All you need is a butter knife, to get a kitchen knife, to get a pistol, to get a rifle, to get a machine gun, to get a rocket launcher, to get a ... tank? For ANY underdog movement to win, they're going to have to start with what they have and work on "upgrading" their equipment.

 But it's never too late to fight, NEVER.

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Posted By: Barry Bright
Date: 2008-04-21 07:05:35

One can always give them the finger as the machine gun bolts are about to slam home.

 

 But when your house/hideout is surrounded and you are outnumbered, armed or not, your only choice is whether to be a slave or die with dignity.

 

In a common robbery situation one never, ever, never, 'complies' with the attacker for the attacker could be far worse than a common robber.

 

 Compiling with an effort to disarm a civilian population is slavery, waiting on death. Check out what's happening to Britain:

 

[link edited for length]

 The other side of the coin is Iraq under Saddam. The citizenry had guns but did little to nothing.  It takes more than guns. It takes resolve. And a butter knife is nearly useless to an elderly woman in a wheelchair. It is useless against a machine gun nest or a road block or a gun turn in point.

You must be getting together now, that’s NOW, with non-sheeple of like mind and deciding where your lines are and what your plans of action will be.

 

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Posted By: Harry Schell
Date: 2008-04-21 16:51:32

I walked through the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam a long time ago, when my kids were quite young.  I decided then and there I would never submit quietly to predation,  that any threat to my kids would have to take me down first, if it could, and at whatever cost to me.

Paraphrasing J. S. Mill and Emiliano Zapata, fighting is not the worst thing, having nothing worth fighting for with all your heart and breath is worse, for then your life too is worthless, without color and commitment to anything or anyone.  Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Life is the most precious gift God has given us, and it should not be shamed but honored, standing tall in the face of evil.  Three out of three of us will die.  In honor or shame is your choice.

 Sometimes it is merely necessary to stand firm and say "enough" to evil.  There is no other choice to be made, and you are where you should be at that moment.  Sell the incredible gift of life and freedom dearly, with calm and honor. 

One of the saddest parts of the VT horror was the number of students who just waited to die, and the ones who ran and left them to it.  They could not even throw a book at a madman.  They put no value on their own lives or those of their classmates, or not enough to make any effort to struggle with evil, just to escape if they could or cower. 

The only one who did struggle was an old man who had seen evil up close and personal, and who would not stand aside as long as he had breath. 

 "It don't mean nothin'", for those of you who were in Nam.

For those who weren't, this was a saying among some troops, mostly black, when confronted with something dangerous.  IIRC, they meant to say the possibility of death didn't mean anything compared to the peace of the day those men accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

 The sad thing for an atheist is not that he doesn't believe in God, but that he will believe in anything. 

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Posted By: RickSp
Date: 2008-04-24 18:13:01

Are you familiar with the Second Congo War? I didn't think so. It wasn't covered by most Western press.  The Congo is just north of Zimbawe. The two countries are seperated by Zambia.   5.4 million people died between 1998 and 2003. The war directly involved eight African nations, as well as about 25 armed groups.  There was no shortage of guns.

[link edited for length]

The reason I raise this overlooked war where so many millions died is to suggest that guns are not necessarily always the answer.

 

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