Quote:
Originally Posted by whell
So you're making the case that an individual taking up arms is appropriate redress for disagreeing with their elected representatives? Interesting.
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Of course it's not appropriate, but that belief has been at the core of the GOP agenda for decades. They have sold the mistaken notion that the Second Amendment's purpose is specifically to allow citizens to take up arms against leaders they view as tyrannical.
To wit (from the NRA's Legislative Action website):
Two-out-of-three Americans recognize that their constitutional right to own a gun was intended to ensure their freedom. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of American Adults think the purpose of the Second Amendment is to make sure that people are able to protect themselves from tyranny.
https://www.nraila.org/articles/2013...gainst-tyranny
In the words of Wayne LaPierre,
“(T)he people have the right, must have the right, to take whatever measures necessary, including force, to abolish oppressive government.”
As noted in my Trump quote above, it has become mainstream fare in the GOP to (mistakenly) say that the Second Amendment's purpose is to protect against tyranny. Here's words from the guy who finished second to Trump in the GOP primary (Cruz):
It is a Constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives, and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/ted-...rnment-tyranny