By Alan Korwin, American Handgunner
“I don’t need no stinkin’ gun laws. You come into my house … yer dead meat.” When the situation demands it, too many gun owners are prepared to use deadly force to defend their families and their homes — and consequences be damned. And damn it, they’ll be damned for ignorantly doing so.
But this begs the question, what about the reverse? Is there something wrong with knowing exactly when you can legitimately drop the hammer on some bad guy, fill ‘em full of lead and walk off scot-free? Should you study the gun laws, and the self-defense laws enough so you’re pretty clear on just when you can draw on someone, fire away and expect to be justified in taking a human life?
It sure sounds like a plan. But to the leftists — and some prosecutors — knowing your rights for dead certain almost sounds like premeditation. To them, it sounds like you’re planning to go hunt down some criminal, make sure the setup is good, stand your ground, wait for the right moment and — kablang! — Add a notch to your sidearm. So, just how controversial is it to know the gun laws?
Get A Clue
First off, most of you reading this haven’t got a clue what the gun laws are — at least not accurately. You’re shooting craps with your freedom. You have some vague ideas, heard some scuttlebutt, remember something some cop told you once at a dinner party you didn’t want to be at, but you’re loaded for bear — and you’re likely bearing arms on a wing and a prayer.
“Be sure you drag him inside.” How many of you have heard this awful piece of advice? So, if you shoot him outside your local convenience store, you have to drag him all the way back home? It’s obviously idiotic.
“If you shoot him, you better cap him off and make sure he’s dead.” Is there worse advice? After the threat is over and the perp is down, so is your right to shoot. Any additional shot is more dangerous to you — legally speaking — than to the bad guy, living or dead.
Old King George used to post laws for the Colonists so high on a wall they couldn’t read them. Then, he could easily charge people with violations they knew nothing about and lock them up at will. It’s kind of why we rebelled and started America. Today, our own government writes such complicated laws even if you want to know what they are it’s nearly impossible to understand them. And suddenly, you’re at risk as if it were Colonial days. This isn’t good.
Knowledge Is Power
To our antirights countrymen, knowing how to buy machine guns, a 50-caliber with a tripod and scope or just a plain old .223 with normal 30-round magazines is “controversial.” They would much rather you didn’t know. The less knowledge you have about your rights, the happier they are, because if you knew all your rights you might demand them. I say do what you can to make those people miserable.
The more you know, the better you can exercise your rights and the safer you’ll become. This will allow you more guns and gear you can safely buy, keep and bear. In some countries, like Norway for instance, authorities will tell you it’s illegal to even know the gun laws.
Yep, that’s right — when we put out The Worldwide Gun Owner’s Guide, we actually had nations telling us their citizens weren’t allowed to know their own gun laws. Their reasoning was the laws gave them power, and put them in control. So, it’s controversial to know the gun laws. As an American, you should show zero tolerance for this sort of abusive government and social balderdash.
As a gun owner, you should push back and make it your business to know exactly what you can and cannot do. You should push back and insist on knowing what your rights are, and especially, the legal limits of the government.
Even though some people like to think, “all those damn gun laws are illegal and should be repealed!” keep in mind many of the laws control the government. Law guarantees you can buy guns, own guns, sell guns, teach your kids about guns, buy machine guns, carry guns, use guns to protect yourself … and this is all good. You need laws. It would be controversial to not have them.
While the antirights people are busy trying to pass restrictive legislation, we’re busy exercising our rights under the existing excellent gun laws we have, working to make them better. You owe it to yourself — and the rest of us — to know what those laws are. So get busy making them better and exercise them with honor and dignity. Dispatch criminals when it’s legal to do so, hold your fire when it’s legally required and arm yourself to the extent you feel prudent, within boundaries set by law. And this is not controversial … well, at least not to decent Americans.
Editor’s note: American Handgunner is running a special where you can get one full year delivered to your home for $9.95 – click here. Join the gun law debate at www.facebook.com/americanhandgunner.
Alan Korwin’s company Bloomfield Press has hundreds of books featuring plain-English descriptions of state and federal gun laws and other Second Amendment products for the public. See those books and DVDs at gunlaws.com.