We'll Be Fools If We Give Up Our Guns

 At the Captain's Journal Herschel Smith tells us that gun confiscation is never about the things the Left says it is about. His post can be found Totalitarians Everywhere Throughout History Enact Control Over Weapons: The Taliban Comes For The Guns.

And to repeat, gun control is never about confiscation of all guns, the usual rejoinder to these instances by the left. In fact, claiming so undermines the main point.

Gun control is always about leaving them in the hands of state-sanctioned actors and outlawing gun ownership by those not approved by the state.

The Founders had a reason for including the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. They had seen this all before, and had studied history well. The Second Amendment was not a passing notion. It was intentionally placed in the Bill of Rights as a way to counter balance the stronger government they were putting in place. The three coequal branches spread Federal power.

The independent and sovereign states were supposed to be an added check on Federal power, but that ended with the 17th Amendment, a huge mistake. It gave the Federal government more power, and decreased the power of the states.  The House of Representatives was supposed to be the peoples house.  The Senate was intended to represent the interests of the states.  

But, the people were the ultimate check on Federal power.  At each step of the way, whether it was the 17th Amendment, or the 16th Amendment, which allowed the income tax, those who pushed these changes assured us that it was to make us safer, more prosperous, and happier.  Just like the Taliban assured people they didn't need their guns anymore.  We were fools for changing our form of government.  We'll be even bigger fools if we give up our guns.  It never ends well.