Americans Need Guns

The Second Amendment guarantees the right of Americans to bear arms, however, some people believe that the right only applies to organized militia and not individual citizens. I would argue that the framers of the Constitution knew that the ultimate last protection for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an armed citizenry.

As demonstrated by the complete breakdown of law and order in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the general population was completely powerless against a wave of crime. The extent of the crimes committed will probably never completely be known, however, it is known that there was no police protection, or even presence, in much of southeast Louisiana for about a week. A law-abiding citizen was, literally and figuratively, a sitting duck.

Dedicated advocate for the right to bear arms, John Michael Snyder, offers this:

"Right now, our professional military is prosecuting war on foreign soil. National Guard and police forces have been working to bring order out of chaos in New Orleans and our Gulf Coast states generally. So who in this crisis guards Americans' homes and, in fact, Americans' lives, but Americans ourselves? And how can that be done against violent criminals without the presence of guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens who know how to use them?"

Precisely! When other protections disappear, Americans with guns will persevere.

I believe that the framers of the Constitution had the prescience to envision a circumstance such as the aftermath of Katrina. And it is with the Second Amendment that the framers gave all Americans the protection of last resort. In some circumstances, the individual armed citizen becomes the only defense against barbarism.