It's not about
hunting. It's not about target practice or trick shots. It's not about
being able to defend yourself against a rapist, a robber, or even a
rampage killer. Sure, those are all nice side-effects of the 2nd
Amendment, but they're not the point.
Let's take a look at "successful" rampage killings in the US in 2012:
Appalling, to be sure. Despicable, vile and evil. Still, not what the 2nd Amendment is about.
Let's take another look at 2012, a year in which Law Enforcement killed 531 individuals. 10x the number killed by rampage shooters. Yes, many (hopefully most — no, hopefully, ALL) of these were in self defense or to protect another innocent. But the fact remains that per-capita, in the United States in 2012, a citizen was more than 10x more likely to be killed by an agent of their government than by a rampage killer. I tried to find a convenient list of wrong-door raids in 2012, but my google-fu failed me, and I have to get to work. Suffice to say that there were at least as many wrong-door raids as spree killing incidents, and in every one of those cases, completely innocent people were injured by their government. In an alarming number of those cases, their dogs were killed, even if they were not attacking the officers.
I'm pretty sure you can see where I'm going with this, but the 2nd Amendment is not about defending oneself against run-of-the mill criminals, not even against spree killers. Sure, being able to defend oneself against that sort of thing is important, and is also covered by the 2nd Amendment, but that isn't why the founders sought to recognize your inherent right to self-defense by way of weaponry with the 2nd Amendment. It's not about the sporting uses of guns, either. Here is the reason:
"Just one final statement, I've been sitting here getting more and more fed up with all of this talk about these pieces of machinery having no legitimate sporting purpose; no legitimate hunting purpose. People, that is not the point of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting. And I know I'm not going to make very many friends saying this, but it's about our rights, all of our rights to be able to protect ourselves from all of you guys up there," Dr. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp, speaking to the Senate.
Let's take a look at "successful" rampage killings in the US in 2012:
- Holmes, James Eagan, 24 July 20 2012 Aurora, CO USA 12 killed 58 injured
- Lanza, Adam Peter, 20 Dec. 14 2012 Newtown, CT U.S. 27 killed 2 injured
- Page, Wade Michael, 40 Aug. 5 2012 Oak Creek, WI U.S. 6 killed 3 injured
- Goh, One L., 43 April 2 2012 Oakland, CA U.S. 7 killed 3 inured
- Wilkins, Nathan Van, 44 July 16/17 2012 Tuscaloosa, AL U.S. 0 killed 12-18 injured
Appalling, to be sure. Despicable, vile and evil. Still, not what the 2nd Amendment is about.
Let's take another look at 2012, a year in which Law Enforcement killed 531 individuals. 10x the number killed by rampage shooters. Yes, many (hopefully most — no, hopefully, ALL) of these were in self defense or to protect another innocent. But the fact remains that per-capita, in the United States in 2012, a citizen was more than 10x more likely to be killed by an agent of their government than by a rampage killer. I tried to find a convenient list of wrong-door raids in 2012, but my google-fu failed me, and I have to get to work. Suffice to say that there were at least as many wrong-door raids as spree killing incidents, and in every one of those cases, completely innocent people were injured by their government. In an alarming number of those cases, their dogs were killed, even if they were not attacking the officers.
I'm pretty sure you can see where I'm going with this, but the 2nd Amendment is not about defending oneself against run-of-the mill criminals, not even against spree killers. Sure, being able to defend oneself against that sort of thing is important, and is also covered by the 2nd Amendment, but that isn't why the founders sought to recognize your inherent right to self-defense by way of weaponry with the 2nd Amendment. It's not about the sporting uses of guns, either. Here is the reason:
"Just one final statement, I've been sitting here getting more and more fed up with all of this talk about these pieces of machinery having no legitimate sporting purpose; no legitimate hunting purpose. People, that is not the point of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting. And I know I'm not going to make very many friends saying this, but it's about our rights, all of our rights to be able to protect ourselves from all of you guys up there," Dr. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp, speaking to the Senate.
- Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgrIsuO5PLc#t=4m40s (If this link doesn't take you straight to the quote above, jump to 4:40. When you've seen that bit, please watch the whole thing - it's well worth your time, and discusses the other legitimate uses of guns quite effectively.)
- Transcript: http://www.rightsofthepeople.com/guns/gun_facts/a_daughters_regret_how_a_gun_could_have_saved_my_parents.php
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_Americas
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_School_massacres
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_familicides_in_the_United_States
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_postal_killings#United_States
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_events_named_massacres
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States_2012
