Government
The purpose is expressed in the preamble to the Constitution:
‘‘We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.’’
Establish Justice: To bring justice to those who have done bad things (Judicial Branch)
Insure Domestic Tranquility: Laws set forth to bring about peace and stability (Legislative Branch and the Bill of Rights)
Provide for the Common Defense: The Military
Promote the General Welfare: laws to provide everyone with a equal ability to achieve their dreams
Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity: The Constitution and the Bill of Rights
NO MORE. NO LESS.
Misconception of the government’s role: “The government should do more to protect us.”
This is false. For the government to protect us as individuals would trample on certain liberties and freedoms granted to us by the Constitution and its amendments.
Law Enforcement
Misconception #1: “The police should do more to protect us.”
The police cannot be everywhere at once. How can they protect us as individuals without stepping on our liberties and freedoms. Also, the police are under no obligation to protect the citizenry. Though many departments across the nation have adopted the motto ‘To Protect and Serve’, their only obligation is to enforce the law. There are a good number of cops that are truly heroes, want to make a difference in the communities they serve, and take it upon themselves to protect as best they can, but make no mistake, they are in no way obliged to do so.
Misconception #2: “Only the police should have guns.”
This is false for two important reasons. First, it goes against the Bill of Rights, the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, protecting the right of every citizen to keep and bear arms. Our Founding Fathers used history to predict the future. They knew that an armed population could help prevent an invading nation from defeating us. They also knew that in order to remain a free nation, the people would need to be able to keep the government in check by armed resistance if all else were to fail. If you look at history, you will see that before a free nation became tyrannical, the guns were taken away from the citizenry, Venezuela being a more recent example and Nazi Germany being a more well-known example.
The second reason is, along with the Constitution, all 50 states’ have laws allowing for self-defense and the defense of others. If the police were the only ones with guns, they would be more overwhelmed with crime than they already are. The war on drugs has been failing miserably for decades. A war on illegal guns crossing the border would fail as well. Frankly, you can never win a war against an abstract.
Individuals
Under the Constitution and under the laws of all 50 states, protection, safety, and security falls on the individual citizen. That’s right. YOU are responsible for your own well-being. Society as a whole has become soft and weak. It wants to pass the buck and shift blame to the police and to the government. It’s long past time for us to look in the mirror to see the one that should be blamed for crime being out of control. It’s long past time for us to stop being helpless victims and start taking control of our own protection and safety.
You cannot, nor should not, rely on the government from the local level all the way to the Federal level for your safety and protection. To do so takes the power and control away from ‘We the People’ and gives it to the government to do as they wish.
There’s really only three choices you can make. You can decide to be pro-active in your own protection, hire someone to protect you, or be a victim. Freedom and liberty come at a cost and with responsibility. It’s up to you what you do with it.
On a Side Note
Though we are proponents of the 2nd Amendment and the People’s right to keep and bear arms, I strongly encourage anyone who owns a firearm, or plans to own one, PLEASE get professional training. Professional training goes far beyond learning how to aim at a target and squeeze the trigger. You need to learn laws regarding carrying and the use of firearms, safety, and how to maintain your firearm as well.
