{"id":3005,"date":"2024-03-21T03:54:46","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T03:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=3005"},"modified":"2024-03-21T03:54:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T03:54:46","slug":"making-a-case-for-true-natural-rights-for-all-in-second-amendment-argument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/?p=3005","title":{"rendered":"Making a Case for True Natural Rights for All in Second Amendment Argument"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\">\n<figure><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock.jpg\" data-caption=\"Bigstock\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\" class=\"entry-thumb td-modal-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock.jpg 770w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-700x466.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-217x145.jpg 217w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-430x287.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/justice-scales-bigstock-597x398.jpg 597w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" alt=\"Friday weekly gun law roundup\" title=\"justice scales bigstock\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bigstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-next-post-navi\">\n<p>\nNext Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A recent federal court ruling has stirred up controversy. While that happens all the time, this one is special because it\u2019s got the gun rights community divided. The big rub? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/judge-rules-illegal-immigrants-gun-175049515.html\">The question of whether people who entered the country illegally can lawfully possess a gun<\/a>. Some conservatives and libertarians\/liberals are on the side of the defendant, while others are angry about it, with some even thinking it\u2019s part of a plot to create an army of \u201cinvaders\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>South Dakota\u2019s Governor Kristi Noem is among those who aren\u2019t happy about it:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">More lunacy from the radical left!<\/p>\n<p>They try to take away our 2nd Amendment rights at every turn, but arm the illegal aliens, who break the law when they enter this country. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D2qO95Xq2F\">pic.twitter.com\/D2qO95Xq2F<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KristiNoem\/status\/1770198890374983816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 19, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And, in the replies, there were several comments like this one from Missouri\u2019s Secretary of State:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-545690\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong.png 1245w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-700x202.png 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-768x222.png 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-150x43.png 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-696x201.png 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-1068x309.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Constitution-Understood-Wrong-560x162.png 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Plenty of others said things like, \u201cThe Left has turned on we The people!\u201d and \u201cThey hate us, they full on, without a doubt, hate the American citizen.\u201d Some even accused the judge of treason, said \u201cAmerica has fallen.\u201d while at the same time there were a bunch of anti-gun zealots siding with Republicans.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-545691 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post.png 1230w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-300x294.png 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-700x686.png 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-768x753.png 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-150x147.png 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-696x682.png 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-1068x1047.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-428x420.png 428w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-560x549.png 560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-545691\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post.png 1230w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-300x294.png 300w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-700x686.png 700w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-768x753.png 768w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-150x147.png 150w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-696x682.png 696w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-1068x1047.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-428x420.png 428w, https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Guns-Over-People-Post-560x549.png 560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>Given all of this nonsense, it\u2019s pretty clear that many people on the right and the left need both a history lesson and a lesson on natural rights. If you know what natural rights are and what the Second Amendment is, please share this. If you think I\u2019m some radical leftist for calling the above nonsense, then you\u2019re among those who need to keep reading.<\/p>\n<h3>Let\u2019s Start With The Second Amendment<\/h3>\n<p>The Second Amendment itself is pretty clear about this:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We already know that the prefatory clause has no legal effect. It\u2019s just a statement of the intent of the ratifiers, which is to keep the United States from falling prey to tyranny. So, let\u2019s get into the meat. It says<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c\u2026the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Notice that it doesn\u2019t say something like \u201c\u2026the Government of The United States of America hereby grants citizens the right to keep and bear arms.\u201d or \u201cMale citizens of military age are hereby given a license to possess arms connected with militia service.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The key point I\u2019m trying to make is that the Second Amendment doesn\u2019t grant anybody anything. It only restricts government from violating a right that was already assumed to exist. The right to keep and bear arms is something that predates the United States of America. So, the next natural question is where it comes from.<\/p>\n<h3>Who Gave Us The Right To Keep and Bear Arms?<\/h3>\n<p>To know what pre-existing right the Second Amendment refers to, we have to go further back to the Declaration of Independence. If you\u2019ve never read it yourself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/founding-docs\/declaration-transcript\">I highly recommend reading it in full<\/a> and doing some background reading to understand what it\u2019s talking about. It\u2019s a valuable piece of history and it\u2019s vital to understanding your rights.<\/p>\n<p>But, let\u2019s look at a key passage of it that illuminates the Second Amendment\u2019s meaning:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.\u2013That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is plenty of room for debate on what \u201cCreator\u201d means, as not all of the document\u2019s authors agreed on that point. Some were deists, and felt that we could best understand God through the observation of nature, including human nature. Others were Christians, and would say that this refers to the God Christians worship. But, regardless of whether you side with the deists or the Christians, or believe in some other God or none at all, one thing is abundantly clear: Our rights don\u2019t come from government!<\/p>\n<p>This concept, that rights come from either God or from the nature of humanity is called <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Natural_rights_and_legal_rights\">Natural Rights<\/a>. This concept stands in contrast with the idea of legal rights, or rights that stem from laws and government. Natural rights are fundamental and inalienable, and apply to all humans. We also call them \u201chuman rights\u201d. They cannot be repealed by governments.<\/p>\n<p>In some respects, they\u2019re a natural law, like gravity, because violating natural rights runs contrary to human nature. Governments can try to break natural laws by violating our natural rights, but ultimately it will harm that government and destroy it. History is littered with the corpses of dead governments that tried to ignore natural rights, like Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Confederacy. You might get away with violating natural rights for a while, but it always catches up to you.<\/p>\n<p>So, ultimately, even if you believe in God, it\u2019s not about God granting a right to keep and bear arms as much as baking those rights into our very essence as humans. If you don\u2019t believe in God and a literal creation, this still applies, as human rights are the result of billions of years of evolutionary processes. This means that respecting natural rights is part of the survival of the fittest. Societies that respect human rights are thus naturally superior to those that don\u2019t and have an evolutionary advantage at the macro level.<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cBut, What About The Dangers Of Arming Illegals!\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Before you go to the comments and say that we have to restrict human rights to citizens for practical reasons, I have to point out that we have this argument all the time with anti-gunners. The cold, hard fact is that gun control is worthless, no matter who you try to apply it to.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because people who entered unlawfully and have bad intentions can always get a gun, just like citizen criminals who are barred from possessing firearms. If gun control doesn\u2019t stop citizen criminals from possessing firearms, why on earth would it stop criminals who were born on the other side of an imaginary line in the desert?<\/p>\n<p>The only thing we accomplish by telling non-citizens that they can\u2019t possess weapons is to disarm the ones who want to follow the law. This puts them at a disadvantage to criminals, and increases crime in the United States. It also gives us a false sense of security, because such laws definitely wouldn\u2019t keep the most dangerous criminals and foreign agents from possessing firearms.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of being idiots and enabling a tyrannical government, we should instead stick to our principles and defend gun rights. Let a mix of good people with guns and good old fashioned constitutional police work take care of the criminals.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: The opinions expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not reflect an overall stance, view or position of the website in general. For additional perspective and background on this topic, following are links to additional articles:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-next-post-navi\">\n<p>\nNext Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutguns.com\/making-a-case-for-true-natural-rights-for-all-in-second-amendment-argument\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bigstock Next Post Coming Soon&#8230;\u25b6 A recent federal court ruling has stirred up controversy. While that happens all the time, this one is special because it\u2019s got the gun rights community divided. The big rub? The question of whether people who entered the country illegally can lawfully possess a gun. Some conservatives and libertarians\/liberals are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsandpride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}