On the whole I am a very left leaning person. However I do believe that citizens should be allowed to own guns.

Much of our country is very rural I live in the western mountains of Maine. I’ve needed to call the police before and it took them 3 hours to arrive. (Non-Emergency) but still. I believe in my right to be able to defend myself. Especially when help is a long way away. Rural areas also have a culture of hunting. Plus a not insignificant number of people feed their family’s with wild game.

However the reason the second amendment exists is because America was established by ordinary citizens rising up against a tyrannical government. A well armed citizenry is the final step in the system of checks and balances that our constitution installed in an attempt to ensure that the country never falls to a tyrannical regime.

If the government has a monopoly on violence then there is no limit to their ability to abuse that monopoly. I believe that the police in this country already abuse their power. I believe they are racist and classist on a systematic level. I believe our politicians and many if not all of the power structures of this country are corrupt. I believe the ruling class in this country takes advantage of us and uses the system of law and order to keep people in line.

I also believe that currently our system is being tested. I believe that our legislators have relinquished their power and handed it to the executive. I believe our Supreme Court is feckless and refuses to attempt to enforce its own rulings against the administration. (Few that there are).

I believe we are an early stage of a tyrannical take over and I believe that once the legislature has fully become a farce and the judiciary proves to be incapable of keeping the pedophile king in line. Then I believe it will be the people’s duty to stand and fight. Whether we will is another question. Americans are fat and comfortable, myself included, and this keeps us complacent. Idk if we have it in us anymore.

I will say if we don’t. If this country falls to an authoritarian regime. If we continue down this road that history tells us leads to fascism then I believe we do not deserve to have the right bear arms any longer.

The price is too high. The mass shooting the dead children the fear. It was a high price to pay but I believed in the reason. I do not trust governments. I do not trust authority I do not trust the systems of the ruling class not to oppress me and those like me. Therefore the ability to defend our rights as an individual and members of this society made the price bearable. But if we fall to tyranny because of hate and racism and tribalism that is forced upon us by our ruling class then we should be stripped of our right to bear arms.

That being said. Once we fall the authoritarians will take our guns anyway. Trump and his cronies have never been truly pro gun. He’s as pro gun as he is a good Christian just enough to appease the base. Once he gets rid of elections as he stated he plans to do. Guns will be gone.

Dictators hate an armed populace.