Crime statistics show incidents that occur rather than those that don't. Liberal gun ownership has stopped a lot of crimes from occurring in U.S. homes, I would think, that reporters haven't an interest in reporting. Peaceful non-events don't make interesting news.
Isn't it good news that the homicidal maniac saw the 'protected by Smith and Wesson' decal on the door and kept on driving, or that the child snaggers saw the trucks with the gun racks in the driveway and decided to cruise some other neighborhood with signs posted 'This neighborhood has no guns' looking for the next victim?
In the establishment of the United States violent revolutionary action was required to get rid of the British Royal Government and their oppressive class of super-wealthy landowners such as Lord Fairfax to redistribute the land to the people. Violence is de rigueur for revolt against the minority powers that would subjugate the masses. It is only through liberal citizen gun ownership that an oppressive governing class has real limits to the extent they have on compelling their power over the citizens. Democracy must be defended with blood if it to endure.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
painting circa 1851 by Emauel Leutz
These are not remarkable facts. There have been few democracies in history and none at all like that of the U.S.A. For some reason the citizens of most countries were unsuccessful in overthrowing their oppressive rulers, were subjugated by oppressive undemocratic tyrants they could not get rid of, or lacked the will to revolt. In decadent nations endowed initially with an inheritance from God-given revolutionaries of liberal and unrestricted gun ownership rights, the rights may atrophy over time as the citizens cower in their homes relying entirely upon a benevolent big brother government for their own defense. It is ironic that the United States may develop a broadcast media, government and security organs over time quite like that of the former Soviet Union eventually closing out the gun ownership rights that would make any potential tyrannical ruling class think twice about coercing the citizenry into the status of a herd unable to develop private interests.
Like the Roman Republic that fell when its rich Senators became too globally commercialized and less interested in keeping a healthy state allowing an imperium to form, the United States is challenged by the problem of keeping it democracy vital and defended against the very state it comprises. The problem is comparable to keeping the immune system of the body politic free of H.I.V.
The challenge should not be too difficult yet in an era of demagoguery and posturing instead of competence the national interests founder in debt, in defense allocations, in foreign policy and in right reason regarding sexuality for marriage instead of homoeroticism. Nevertheless the dense of civil liberties are founded in the potential for the citizens to meaningfully revolt against the government when necessary, and as in Syria it is difficult to do without adequate weapons. The U.S. Government trusts Syrian and Al Qaeda radicals enough to support them and has armed rebels all over the middle east-it ought at least support the right-of-revolt for its own citizens and trust that they respect the government enough not to do so.
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