There are now two Americas. The first features high taxes, heavy regulations and massive government expenditure. The second has relatively lower taxes, fewer burdensome regulations and more limited government. “Right to work” America (e.g., Georgia) is growing more prosperous while rolling back gun control regulations. Nanny State America (e.g. New Jersey) is sinking under the weight of its bloated bureaucracy, placing new restrictions on its citizens’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. As poet William Butler Yeats wrote in The Second Coming . . .
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” Many gun owners see this dangerous dichotomy in bold relief. They know that America cannot be two things at once: a country where the government’s endless pursuit of “reasonable regulations” makes a mockery of citizens’ Constitutional rights and a country where individual freedoms are, as they should be, sacrosanct. Hence rumblings about Civil War 2.0.
There are gun rights advocates who echo Thomas Jefferson’s admonition that “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” But the vast majority of liberty-loving gun guys and gals are peace-loving patriots who abhor armed conflict. They want the increasingly obvious two Americas situation to be resolved without bloodshed.
Many place their faith in the federal court system. They believe that the ongoing courtroom crusade to strike down draconian gun control legislation will lead to a Supreme Court victory that will force the states’ statists to return to the Founding Fathers’ Constitutional construct. The recent decision by the Ninth Circuit Court to strike down California’s and Hawaii’s may-issue [non] permitting process gives them cause to hope.
Other gun rights advocates would like to see the two Americas reconciled at the ballot box. They reckon that if a sufficient number of anti-gun, big government Democrats can be booted out of office, these political proponents of civilian disarmament command and control can be stopped in their tracks and their gun control legislation rescinded. The recent recall of pro-gun control pols in Colorado gives them cause to hope.
In both cases, their hopes are destined to remain unrealized.
History tells us that the courts will not offer the relief gun rights advocates seek. The McDonald decision – a limited and Pyrrhic victory that opened the door to unreasonable “reasonable regulations” – indicates that the Supreme Court will not make huge leaps towards firearms freedom. This quote from Federal District Court Judge Alfred Covello upholding Connecticut’s patently unconstitutional post-Newtown gun laws tells you all you need to know about courts operating in gun averse states:
“The court concludes that the legislation is constitutional . . . While the act burdens the plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights, it is substantially related to the important governmental interest of public safety and crime control.”
Nor will pro-gun activism at the ballot box “reunite” the two Americas. Polls show that residents in states with “tough” gun laws support civilian disarmament by an overwhelming margin. Back in September 2013, a Rutgers – Eagelton poll found that 70 percent of respondents favored a measure requiring that firearms purchase permits be recorded on driver licenses. The Garden State’s latest assault on citizens’ gun rights – an ammunition magazine capacity law – sailed through the legislature.
More worrying still: the federal government is closerthanthis with the part of the country that sees nothing wrong with government intervention in all things. Should another nanny state statist capture the presidency (e.g., Hillary Clinton), should that CIC find support in Congress or end-run the legislature through executive orders, the feds will continue to consolidate and increase governmental power (i.e., erode gun rights and curtail liberty).
Even in the best case scenario – the country elects a [small “c”] conservative president to work with a Republican led House and Senate – he or she will not be able to “make” pro-gun control states abandon their civilian disarmament agenda. Anti-gun America will continue down the path of curtailed firearms freedom unmolested by court edict or [small ‘d’] democratic blowback.
In short, the gulf between the two Americas will widen. The question: how, when and where will the actual fracture occur? Right now the vast majority of Americans are blissfully ignorant of the divide. Until their lives are affected in some dramatic, personal way, they will continue to pursue happiness in condition white.
In that sense, American gun owners are the canary in the coal mine. They are awake and alert to the danger posed by the statist states, and they’re chirping like crazy. The mine owners couldn’t give a damn. The workers busy hollowing out the Constitution are completely oblivious to the stench of tyranny. When the proverbial shaft collapses in some spectacular way, then they’ll pay attention.
What then? What rough beast, its hour come round at last, will slouch towards Bethlehem to be born? God knows. But the more people who are armed against it, the better.
Glock 19 with a G17 as a spare mag
It’s not just about states, it’s also rural versus urban. I expect 2020 to be a watershed year, because a sensus will be taken and congressional districts drawn accordingly. And a lot of rural counties are dying as we speak.
And one of these days I’ll finally learn how to spell census.
XD-45 with gold dots and a William Henry carbon fiber/titanium.
Polish P-64 in 9X18 Mak. Great little gun, and besides, it’s the only practical carry gun I have since I sold (errr, make that gave, “sold” actually entails being paid) my Makarov to my son. (He’s not a bad boy, tho, he has made me a beautiful walnut-and-maple two-tone wraparound grip for the P-64). Used to carry a Taurus PT-22 occasionally until it got liberated from my Jeep. When I’m walking about at night (usually with our Chihuahua), I always carry a 4-cell Maglite too. And I always have a pocket knife–but that’s what it is, a pocketknife.
Colt Cobra. Six for sure.
Ruger LCP, and a Spyderco or two.
My daily carry is a CZ82 or a Ruger SR22.
Gold plated Desert Eagle in 8MM Nambu (+P)
Rob, I agree with you on many points in this article. However, your opinion about the President using executive orders to end-run congress is at best under informed. The President is actually issuing substantially fewer executive orders than a great majority of his predecessors. You may not like the fact that many of them pertain to firearms, but to make the statement that he is “end-running” congress would be a misnomer. Furthermore, those are powers that must be based within the constitution and can only be used to support existing laws. I understand these powers can be abused, such as Executive Order 9066 by FDR being used to place Japanese Americans in internment camps, but I don’t think we can compare Obama’s EO’s to EO 9066.
With that aside, I love this blog and truly hope we exit the Nanny State.
Taurus PT709 + Sticky holster or Versacarry
Note to self: When showing my solidarity and support for embattled People of the Gun in Connecticut, I must not wear a T-shirt that says “SUCK IT UP!”
I was just going to overlook that.
Kahr CM9 almost always on the ankle.
I just switched over from a Glock 19/26 combo to a S&W M&P9c for IWB.
Ruger SR40c in a Tucker cover up or a Remora
Browning Inglis Hipower
True everyday carry p3at, in my back pocket with blackhawk no 1 holster.
9mm PPQ as often as I can (could not effectivly carry IWB for my job w/o exposing often-and yes I have permission from my employer)
9mm PPS on Sundays when I tuck in my shirt.
9’s both ride in hybrid style holsters.
Evil PO… FLAME DELETED… confounded FLAME DELETED.
Even in the best case scenario – the country elects a pro-firearms freedom conservative president to work with a Republican led House and Senate – he or she will not be able to “make” pro-gun control states abandon their civilian disarmament agenda. Anti-gun America will continue down the path of curtailed firearms freedom unmolested by court edict or [small ‘d’] democratic blowback.
If conservatives did, in fact, own both houses and the executive branch, then the federal government should do one of the few things that it actually ought to be doing—upholding the Constitution, to wit, disallowing any of the States, or more-local governments, from infringing on the people’s rights. In other words, the federal government should make sure that no level of government restricts our right to keep and bear arms.
Sometimes I read articles like this and they are so well written, depression creeps in.
Then I get mad. I remember that this fight is THE fight.
If the second amendment is gone, there will be no other fights.
Canary in a coal mine, indeed. Very appropro.
Depends on the day…most days a 1911, some days a .41 Magnum…
Sig P220 Compact SAS and a 638 for when I’m not wearing a belt.
Great post, Sergeant. but oh, I forgot… some “People of the Gun” think open carry is “icky”. And will criticize you for your excellent judgement.
What really bugs me is that the food is typically so much better in the anti-gun blue states. Just try to get decent Italian or Sushi or Gyro in a red state! Good luck. But then, chefs are artists, and we all know where they fall in the great social divide.
Case in point: I live in central Pennsylvania, a great place for RKBA, but a true wasteland for cuisine.
I’ve lived in nothing but red states my whole life.
Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Carolina
I’ve never had a problem finding good food.
Try going to the smaller mom-n-pop type places or better yet, go to where the locals go, the true locals not the transplants.
Then again, I am not a fan of italian. I go for local cuisine (bbq, cajun, seafood, etc) or asian cuisine and I’ve struck gold everywhere I’ve been
you mean Waffle House ISN’T fine cuisine?
NRA is a gun manufacturing lobby, not a 2nd amendment lobbying group.
They act like they care about our rights, but its only with regard to how much they can profit off of it, look at their attempts to kill foreign gun imports. I remember them claiming the government needed to ban foreign ammo and arm importation to keep the 2nd amendment, because if they weren’t restricted or heavily tariffed the US local industry would die and then the government would ban imports and the 2nd amendment would be nullified. Pure protectionist BS.
“In that sense, American gun owners are the canary in the coal mine. They are awake and alert to the danger posed by the statist states, and they’re chirping like crazy. The mine owners couldn’t give a damn. The workers busy hollowing out the Constitution are completely oblivious to the stench of tyranny. When the proverbial shaft collapses in some spectacular way, then they’ll pay attention.”
Passages like these remind me why I’m an engineer and not a writer.
My brother the attorney and my sister-in-law the former prosecutor say: “The only way to ensure a good interaction with law enforcement is to avoid interaction with law enforcement.” (These include our cousins, especially the judge.)
I can’t see how open carry walkabouts score points for our team.
It would be different if he were walking to the range or to his house. (The fact that one has a right doesn’t mean one must insist on it: Expecting someone with a yield sign—or even a redlight—to give way is not a way to avoid car crashes.)
These young people are risking more than they know. (Video changes the equation, but I grew up in the Deep South in the ’60s and ’70s, so my experience is clouded by bad cops.)
Tell, me, please, how did this push forward our cause?
If the officer is negative, obnoxious, ill-informed, generally unprofessional or acting illegally you can deal with that later, when it is safe to do so
Good Luck with that. While my experience with the CT State PD has been always professional, I find many local PD “negative, obnoxious, ill-informed, generally unprofessional or acting illegally” at a simple traffic stop and complaining after words really does not seem to do anything. I even had a lawyer tell me about one incident to not drive my car and perhaps rent one for a while.
Yes, there are good and bad cops, but the unions seem to protect the bad cops like teachers unions protect bad teachers and NOTHING ever changes. Put another way, I get it, you do not know who I am so in a stop you cannot trust me, but being rude and obnoxious means I don’t trust any police — ever!
Unless something is done to weed out bad cops (and bad teachers) nothing can ever change.
Light Saber, and…
one of these:
https://www.asp-usa.com/store/defenders/key-defender/key-defender.htm
Firearms? I know nothing, I see……
Yeah those are the guys that called us over the hill! Go get em!!!
“Dang! Why do they always put the guy with the spear in front?”
Great write up. The only thing I might add is that If you feel
the need to request another officer consider asking for one
from a different department. For instance, if you’re having
an issue with a sheriff’s deputy, ask for a state trooper; or
vice versa. Someone from the same dept is more likely to
backup the 1st LEO rather than stay impartial. Also, a LEO
from another dept may have different training allowing
for more clarity on the issue at hand. This can be of benefit
to LE as well. If 2 different agencies can corroborate events
they’re less likely to have legal issues with their decisions.
I think most of those people are bald. I only saw a couple of combs.
“Capt Manwaring, they don’t like it up ’em”… (any Brits of a certain age on TTAG will recognize this..)
Active Duty Roster of US Military after Obama Cuts
Kahr CW40.
Monty Python 50th Reunion…
Is there a deodorant for guns so they do not offend?
Gun Offenders? I’ve never done anything to offend a gun.
I think fiscal solvency will be the bigger problem, and if history is any indication (Rome), we will be overrun by numerically superior barbarians.
I bet the great thinkers of the 50s never expected our empire to fall so fast…
Will Hayden is a good man. My wife and I wish him the very, very, best.
I’ve trained extensively with the SIRT laser pistol. I’ve worn the trigger module out once and had to send it back for warranty repair and once had to take a break for a few weeks because my trigger finger was developing RSI symptoms.
Most of that has been on the move, generally at running speeds – when I go running (it’s on private property, don’t worry) I take it and shoot passing objects (trees, windows, doors, etc).
Making hits, while running, on human sized target at 15 yards is very doable. Further or smaller than that and you may have to “bunny hop” (sounds silly, but a timed leap gives a slightly longer time to align the sites between foot-fall) or slow or stop.
I say MOVEANDSHOOTANDMOVE all at once. It’s very doable for handgun-type problems.
Having had my right forearm ripped open by a Rottweiler, tough shit for the dog. The owner should feel lucky that he didn’t shoot both dogs.
Tommy’s finally decided to let government know they’ve had enough.
I know for a fact that you can still get NRA grants even if all your members don’t belong. As a committee member of the friends of the NRA I help raise money for local gun clubs and youth areas and get them grants for improvements. Contact your local NRA rep as ask about the friends of the NRA in Colorado and apply for a grant it is very simple.
Deep down inside he is hoping for another tragidy to happen so it furthers his and every antis agenda.
He’s a politician !
Look its simple ask the criminals in jail or read the manifesto of the people like the ex La cop and do the opposite of what they want. Criminals want their victims unarmed and helpless just like Mrs BlumMENTAL.
Every bad guy in that town now knows that those douchebags are not armed. He may very well learn a more valuable lesson than he already has.
I think Mr. Blumenthal must have skipped history class. History tells us that the only way for a free people to remain free is retain their ability to defend those freedoms – whether by action (ie – War for Independence) or by deterrent. I think we all hope it always remains the latter, but once again, history is replete with evidence often the former is required. If we think just because we’re Americans we’re so impervious to tyranny, then we have most certainly forgot our own history – and in so doing, set the stage for tyranny once again.
VF77
Sig p229 sas . Crossbreed super tuck
Sounds like right wing nonsense. the democrats of the 1800’s were also considered conservative btw
This left vs right bullshit is why I’m removing this site from my favorites.
P.S. Registered Republican.
Fuck this click-bait bullshit.
SW 1911SC in a CrossBreed SuperTuck Deluxe
The version actually passed by the House looks very good to my eyes.
Maybe I’ll do a longer post on it tomorrow.
–Andrew, @LawSelfDefense