Legalize all weapons - a Modest Proposal
After the senate majority rejected background checks after yet another massacre this week,
the NRA needs to search for a new challenge. It may seem like a reach,
but I have come up with their next seemingly impossible goal:
legalization of the sale to the public of all military arms: machine
guns, grenades, rocket launchers, tanks, and planes.
At first one would say this is absurd, but there are reasonable points that can be made in its favor. The Second Amendment reads as follows: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." When the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, the militia was armed with muskets and pistols. Two hundred years later, the militia is known as the National Guard and it has machine guns, grenades, tanks, and aircraft. It is obvious that the founding fathers, the men that threw tea into Boston Harbor, would see the worth of arming citizens to the best extent possible in the defense of liberty.
How would this be good for America? The NRA notes that most guns are for home protection and hobbyists. Many also consider firearms a last defense of liberty against possible government tyranny. As most gun owners tend to be suburban or rural, they could protect their homes easily with grenades and rocket launchers for the most part without collateral damage to their neighbors. A tank parked in the driveway is certain to discourage criminal activity, although all the armor-piercing ammunition would be stored safely in the basement or the tool shed, to prevent children from accidentally destroying a neighbor's tank. But the criminals out there don't have to know that.
Many gun owners are members of clubs, some administered by the NRA. Firing ranges could be expanded with pits for throwing grenades, disused buildings and vehicles for use as targets for launching rockets, and fields and decrepit neighborhoods for tank maneuvers. Though the National Guard also operates jets with rockets, most hobbyists would find the costs of fuel and maintenance of 200 million dollar aircraft prohibitive, although clubs could secure less current fighter-bombers with the combined dues of their members, so they can share them like a time share beach house. Just as people ride their canoes and kayaks in the National Parks, they could fly their jets over them as well. Imagine the Grand Canyon as seen from the seat of an old F-15!
The protection of the people from government tyranny would be well served by the people possessing comparable armament of the Army. As of now, it would be relatively easy for the government to oppress the people as the military's weapons are much more sophisticated and lethal than arms available at gun shows, the internet, and Wal-mart. Providing the people with Patriot missile launchers and Abrahms tanks would only secure liberty for generations to come.
In addition to the points raised by the NRA that affect gun enthusiasts, the legalization would help all Americans, increasing employment and decreasing taxes. As the US reduces its military commitments overseas, procurement of weapons and ammunition will decline, with possible job losses. Expanding the market for armored personnel carriers, cluster bombs, and land mines could help the workers in those industries keep their jobs. The defense industry is spread across the US, so all congressional districts would benefit, in addition to those of the firearms manufacturers concentrated in liberal New England. As the production increases, the per unit costs will decrease, so the government will be saving money with the reduced prices for military hardware, giving ample opportunity to lower taxes to everyone.
Many will say the expanded sales will make our schools and businesses unsafe. They have a valid point. But it will have the positive effect of reducing resistance to providing well-armed security personnel to every school. For most schools, a couple men (or women!) armed with machine guns and anti-tank missiles supplemented with an assault rifle in each teacher's closet would suffice. In more dangerous neighborhoods, tanks could be provided in the playground, which children could play on like a climbing wall. This would also provide jobs as security personnel in addition to manufacturing jobs when we need them in this sluggish recovery. As many support workers in schools are unionized, this is certain to have union support as well.
The benefits are obvious. A more robust honoring of the Second Amendment, a safer nation, more jobs, and lower taxes. The House of Representatives would pass it in a heartbeat. If the Senate couldn't pass simple background checks, this should be an easy sell. It's all about freedom. The time is now.
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| Folks shopping for the family machine gun or armored car to take the kids to school |
At first one would say this is absurd, but there are reasonable points that can be made in its favor. The Second Amendment reads as follows: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." When the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, the militia was armed with muskets and pistols. Two hundred years later, the militia is known as the National Guard and it has machine guns, grenades, tanks, and aircraft. It is obvious that the founding fathers, the men that threw tea into Boston Harbor, would see the worth of arming citizens to the best extent possible in the defense of liberty.
How would this be good for America? The NRA notes that most guns are for home protection and hobbyists. Many also consider firearms a last defense of liberty against possible government tyranny. As most gun owners tend to be suburban or rural, they could protect their homes easily with grenades and rocket launchers for the most part without collateral damage to their neighbors. A tank parked in the driveway is certain to discourage criminal activity, although all the armor-piercing ammunition would be stored safely in the basement or the tool shed, to prevent children from accidentally destroying a neighbor's tank. But the criminals out there don't have to know that.
Many gun owners are members of clubs, some administered by the NRA. Firing ranges could be expanded with pits for throwing grenades, disused buildings and vehicles for use as targets for launching rockets, and fields and decrepit neighborhoods for tank maneuvers. Though the National Guard also operates jets with rockets, most hobbyists would find the costs of fuel and maintenance of 200 million dollar aircraft prohibitive, although clubs could secure less current fighter-bombers with the combined dues of their members, so they can share them like a time share beach house. Just as people ride their canoes and kayaks in the National Parks, they could fly their jets over them as well. Imagine the Grand Canyon as seen from the seat of an old F-15!
The protection of the people from government tyranny would be well served by the people possessing comparable armament of the Army. As of now, it would be relatively easy for the government to oppress the people as the military's weapons are much more sophisticated and lethal than arms available at gun shows, the internet, and Wal-mart. Providing the people with Patriot missile launchers and Abrahms tanks would only secure liberty for generations to come.
In addition to the points raised by the NRA that affect gun enthusiasts, the legalization would help all Americans, increasing employment and decreasing taxes. As the US reduces its military commitments overseas, procurement of weapons and ammunition will decline, with possible job losses. Expanding the market for armored personnel carriers, cluster bombs, and land mines could help the workers in those industries keep their jobs. The defense industry is spread across the US, so all congressional districts would benefit, in addition to those of the firearms manufacturers concentrated in liberal New England. As the production increases, the per unit costs will decrease, so the government will be saving money with the reduced prices for military hardware, giving ample opportunity to lower taxes to everyone.
Many will say the expanded sales will make our schools and businesses unsafe. They have a valid point. But it will have the positive effect of reducing resistance to providing well-armed security personnel to every school. For most schools, a couple men (or women!) armed with machine guns and anti-tank missiles supplemented with an assault rifle in each teacher's closet would suffice. In more dangerous neighborhoods, tanks could be provided in the playground, which children could play on like a climbing wall. This would also provide jobs as security personnel in addition to manufacturing jobs when we need them in this sluggish recovery. As many support workers in schools are unionized, this is certain to have union support as well.
The benefits are obvious. A more robust honoring of the Second Amendment, a safer nation, more jobs, and lower taxes. The House of Representatives would pass it in a heartbeat. If the Senate couldn't pass simple background checks, this should be an easy sell. It's all about freedom. The time is now.
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