RichmondLiberty.org

by Robert Russo

It occurred to me this month that someone visiting this site for intellectual stimulation or research might look at the high number of gun-related posts and draw the wrong conclusions, not that gun rights aren’t a key issue and gun shows a good promotional, but ask questions like "Do all Libertarians like firearms?", "Is that what this party is about?". So I will add this long-heated topic to my lexicon. Libertarianism is a non-combative, comfortable philosophy and meeting place for political intellectuals and individualists. There is no “gun owners’ party”, it is an issue catered to by Republicans and Democrats as much as we. There are many of us who find guns uncomfortable or unnecessary but this does not predesignate our opinions on constitutional rights or exempt us as voters. I would say that people who dislike cigarettes can still aggressively defend the rights of smokers, but even that is not a true analogy because even those who vote Libertarian specifically to ensure their right to bear arms don’t necessarily oppose gun control or how it should be done.

Although I personally do not hunt I share many of the same outdoor activities as hunters, and so the laws that affect them affect me. (I would support additional legislation to protect hunters like the bill debated in the 2001 election which some people considered redundant, because hunting grounds are some of the most pristine ecological areas in the state.*) Likewise I don’t prefer a gun for self-defense but that doesn’t mean I care nothing about laws that say what we can do in the home.

All political groups, religious ones even more so, can be misjudged by our concepts of association. I can guess what most people I know would think of a website, but then many of them don’t know or care that I’m a Libertarian, and I think most libs are in the same boat. The opinion of most people close to me is that of Aaron Sorkin’s "The American President", in which part of what makes the president and his administration the good guys in the eyes of the viewer is his position on gun control ("For reasons passing understanding people do not relate guns to gun-related crime.") and return to those ideals ("You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns.")** The thing is, these are the same people who watch westerns, in which the hero’s ability to ensure justice is in his own hands, and science fiction which isn’t apart from reality because of the subject matter but because the characters have the freedom for adventure and discovery that real society wouldn’t permit. So although many of my friends are people who love peace and see weapons as something harmful that we are better off without, conversation with these same masses often contains the smalltalk that is offensive to Libertarians, because the things they claim to believe in only serve as their entertainment.

The American western is a good guide to how the Libertarian sees the world, for the benefit of a society that has forgotten the personal responsibility required to survive from before the Constitution was written to the advent of modern simplicity. A man can’t guarantee the integrity of anyone but himself, so the concept of government is insufficient in helping him with any real part of his life. He knows whether protection is needed because when the time comes he’s the one who will be using it, or lose the things he cares about. In a society where everyone has the right to bear arms he trusts his character and discretion to prevail or those values have no meaning. What makes this right relevant today is that this land is still lawless to a degree, the ability to survive on one’s own still has value, as does personal discretion on which peace depends.

Now the view of those who oppose the second amendment is that the days before gun control were pretty bad, not an idyllic fantasy where good intentions always succeed, and no such faith in human behavior can be applied realistically to our demoralized society. A vast majority of people are unfit to wield firearms without hurting themselves or others, and a great many problems in the world would be solved if they simply didn’t exist (or were only in the hands of professionals), and therefore it’s nice that we don’t have to see them in public places to remind us of this and give people ideas. The trouble with maintaining appearances is that our children play with plastic guns all the time, in more realistic shooting scenarios than ever (as a child I wanted a Han Solo pistol). The burden of trying to make life easier so that everyone can get along is it leads one to see people as objects, lessening our expectations of them to the lowest common denominator. It’s certainly true that law enforcement needs to be prepared for anyone or anything, which leaves it up to the individual to say "I am better than a criminal and should be treated as such".

Someone who carries a weapon that can’t be seen is certainly not making any political statement (except perhaps to himself), and is only looking to his own safety. But even if he does carry a handgun just to exercise his rights, a person doesn’t necessarily think everyone should do the same, nor automatically dismisses crime prevention by the restriction of firearms. Addressing gun-related crime by investigating and restricting gun ownership is an idea, much like defensive measures are an idea, not a dead-set political affiliation. Anyone can find themselves in a situation where they will ask these questions, whether a thief breaks into the home or something to safeguard against this is horribly misused. The purpose of libertarianism is to support that personal call and our right to make it. If anyone can use an issue for political characterization they should take a look at abortion. For some good reading material on the right to bear arms go to www.guncite.com, or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics.

*http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=9957&pid=779
**http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112346/quotes

If you have opinions you'd like to add to this thread please send them to henrico@richmondliberty.org and they will be posted. We are particularly interested in thoughts from both sides of this issue.