Gun Debate 2013: This Administration Has Given Us Reason to Cling to Our Guns

I’m officially calling out the anti-gun crowd right now.

Given the political climate of this past week, I have two main points.

1. Universal Background Checks – I agree in theory, but now I’m very much not convinced in practice — now so more than ever.

2. Now is a wonderful time to be reminded of our Second Amendment’s prefatory clause, given the abundance of government scandal, abuses, and assaults on civil liberty.

In light of this recent mess that is the Obama administration, I want to highlight the intent of the Founding Fathers' decision to place the Second Amendment into our nation’s Bill of Rights, directly next to the liberty of speech and a free press. These are all protections to ensure us of the liberties that America was founded upon. The Second Amendment becomes important when the other amendments fail to protect us.

Our president’s administration is assaulting our civil liberties, and whether the intent is malicious or not does not matter at this point, because it is happening. Corruption and abuse in this administration are running rampant.

The left, for far too long, has played the politician in this debate. Joe Biden calls for an assault weapons ban while toting his appreciation for gun rights and for the Second Amendment out of the same breath.

Why would I trust comments from Vice President Biden or President Obama when they tell us that they do not want to take away our guns? It could be another simple "sideshow" scandal if a national gun registry was ever created.

What I’m telling you is that in times like these, when we have seen our president’s federal government assault our free press and nonprofits, lie to us about Benghazi, target whistleblowers, approve unwarranted internet communication tapping, suspend the right to due process of American citizens, enact legal drone strikes on American citizens, and a number of other serious actions, we need to remember that our government can and has failed to defend our civil liberties and has betrayed our trust.

In light of all of this, why is it crazy for so many Americans to be wary of tyranny? 

I’m bringing this up now because I believe that this past week’s news has given us all a unique look into some of the reasons behind the Second Amendment, aside from the right to defend oneself or one’s family.

Not long ago, our own nation held people in chains, legitimized by the government. The government has also legally forced people to drink from separate drinking fountains based upon the color of their skin. The government has also previously restricted voting rights to only certain Americans. These changes are relatively new. Just because these things happened in the past does not relinquish cause for worry that similar kinds of things could happen in the future. A healthy bit of skepticism and the American right to bear arms is essential to protecting these liberties.

 “The government’s us,” says President Obama. Really, Mr. President? I don’t know that those IRS agents who unfairly targeted those who seek to push an agenda that opposes the president’s are exactly … us. Nor would I say the government that attacks our nation’s free press is us. Nor a government that targets whistleblowers. Nor is my government the one that suspends due process on American citizens. Nor a government that abuses the Fourth Amendment. It is not a simple matter of political disagreements, these actions are abusive and are cause for worry. Sometimes the government can go awry, people can make mistakes, and people can have evil desires.

Jon Stewart is right — all of the government skeptics now really do have cause for concern. The Obama administration has given us justification aside from the inherent mistrust of the powerful.

Both conservatives and liberals now face a common threat to the very fundamentals of our nation. The government can, has, and will violate our civil liberties and the freedoms given to us by our creator and protected by the Constitution. Obama’s administration is not the first and will not be the last to do this, but it might be most severe threat thus far. Bush also did similar things, but bringing that up is irrelevant. I’m not exempting Republicans — I’m denouncing government abuses and cause for outrage as I see it.

The president can’t hide behind other members of his administration forever. It is unlikely that all of these various activities occurred without the administration’s oversight, but if they did, then maybe we have even more to be worried about. He is the president, with such power comes responsibility, and it is time that he faces said responsibility.

Tell me that these recent events don’t justify skepticism regarding our nation’s government. Remember when so many people jumped all over the Americans that claimed that they feared government tyranny and thus clung to their guns? How does that look now?

I do not believe that President Obama is a bad person, nor do I believe he is actually trying to harm or limit the freedoms of Americans. He simply does not have the same beliefs in the role of government that many of us do have.

The hope and change promised by this administration do not really exist. If this is the change they think we wanted, then there was a serious misunderstanding. I know that the change I believed in was less government corruption and attacks on civil liberties, not more. I’ve lost all faith in you and your administration, President Obama. I’m glad that our Bill of Rights still exists, on paper at least, to provide us with a facade of protections from your administration. If that ever completely fails, I will cling to my guns. 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart