If you missed part-1 of this installment, please go back and read it before continuing here, as certain aspects of last week’s article are critical to understand how we arrived at this particular jumping-off point. For those of you who are returning for this continuation, I’m going to dive right in where I left off – explaining how the low-income, or otherwise disenfranchised people, are most negatively impacted by unconstitutional gun laws, and utterly fruitless permitting processes.
One of the most abhorrent miscarriages of justice in the history of the American
judicial system came in the 1857 USSC ruling in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford.
To summarize, the USSC found, in a 7-2 decision, that the rights laid out in the US
Constitution did not apply to people of black African descent. The reason this
particular decision is so relevant to this topic, is because of a specific quote made
by the Chief Justice at the time of the ruling. USSC Chief Justice, Roger Taney said
that black people could not be citizens under the Constitution because it “would give
to persons of the negro race the right to keep and carry arms.” Blacks in this country
were once considered 3/5 of a person, and as horribly gut wrenching as that is,
somehow, we’ve lost focus of the primary mechanism used by bureaucrats and
politicians to perpetuate their oppressive behavior – gun control. If you’re unarmed,
you can’t fight back. The permitting process that existed in this state until recently,
and that still exists in many parts of this country, was nothing more than blatant
government overreach, designed to generate revenue from those willing and able to
pay the tax, and to deny low-income citizens their right to protect themselves by pricing them out of their right to legally carry a weapon – effectively creating subsequent generations of government dependent victims. Hell, Martin Luther King Jr. was
denied a gun permit for crying out loud! What more evidence do you need to stop
railing against this law change and the administration that finally got us back to some
semblance of firearm freedom in this state?
How about this? A couple years back, I had the opportunity to speak to a sitting
state senator. Naturally, I brought up the topic of gun rights. This senator was an
elephant who ran a very staunch pachyderm campaign and would have the populous
believe that he was indeed a “true conservative.” However, this RHINO said to me,
and I quote, “I’d like to go into ‘certain neighborhoods’ in New Orleans and take
EVERY gun from EVERY house. That would solve a lot of problems!” Not only did he
actually say that, but he absolutely meant it. Thankfully he was defeated later that
year. He sounded a lot like the politicians on the other side of the aisle, but more than
anything he sounded like a Supreme Court Justice from 1857. Needless to say, I was
immediately turned off. His replacement proved to be not much more than a lump of
coal, but he too has since been voted out of his congressional seat. Hopefully the current office holder won’t advocate for an on-masse gun-grab.
Yes, there will be more guns on the street now, but the new ones will be predominantly in the hands of people who align themselves with good, not evil. The evildoers never cared
about the law in the first place. They’re definitely not about to start now. But maybe,
just maybe, they’ll think twice about that robbery, rape, or murder – and if they don’t,
hopefully the target they choose will be ready with a hidden equalizer that the bad
guy never saw. My only issue with the new law was having it go into effect on the 4th
of July. That was nothing more than low rent, political pandering. It was a little too on the nose there, Jeff.
Lastly, I’ve also seen multiple law enforcement officials, agencies, and organizations
come out in vehement opposition to Constitutional Carry – proverbially “servicing”
their superiors and political donors. For the life of me, I don’t understand this stance from our LEOs and their affiliates. Have you all forgotten your oath? Have you forgotten what you
swore to do, or did you just not pay attention when you raised your right hand and
promised, before God, to support and defend the Constitution and laws of this state
and the Constitution and laws of the United States? Need I remind you that any law
repugnant to the Constitution is void?! Because firearm permitting laws are exactly that –
repugnant to the Constitution.
“Serve and protect” is the great motto of law enforcement all across the country, but it’s clear that far too often nowadays that cops don’t really understand what they’ve sworn to protect. Obviously, police exist to serve The People, but what are they sworn to protect? Life? No. Property? No. The rights of The People? Yes! Cops can quit their jobs at any time, just like anyone else. Although, any cop worth his salt would never walk off the job in the middle of a life- or-death crisis. On the contrary, they’d run headlong into danger to try and save the life of a complete stranger – even if the odds were stacked against them. I’ve seen this very thing occur more times than I can count, and few things have made me prouder than witnessing their heroism in action. However, the protection of life has no bearing whatsoever on the oath they take.
The primary job of any law enforcement official is to protect the RIGHTS of The People
whom they’ve sworn to serve. That’s why the opposition to legislation that only
serves to decriminalize law abiding citizens should be championed by all members of
law enforcement. Instead, they seem to be divided – with far too many lighting on the
side of the gun community, as opposed to the gun culture – which is utterly disgusting. Cops, for the love of God, please stop making guns synonymous with crime! Guns are inanimate objects – tools of the trade, either for good or for evil. So, stop trying to punish good people for bad things that evil people do. My gun is no different than a murderer’s – but my intentions are and that’s what matters.
Be careful who you vote for, folks. The fact of the matter is, you either have freedom
or you don’t. There is no middle ground. Constitutional carry is just that –
Constitutional. Furthermore, it’s just plain smart.
So what if there are now more guns on the streets? Good! That’s just the kind of thing that keeps bad guys at bay. There is some disagreement as to whether or not the following words were actually spoken, but regardless, they should resonate with every American. “I would never invade America, there is a gun behind every blade of grass.” – Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto… probably. Now, replace “America” with your address, your spouse, your children, your church, your community, or yourself. No one should allow anything they hold sacred to be a soft target. So, stop fighting against the advancement of individual freedom and liberty, and strap up! Or don’t – fine. But stop lashing out at the ones who choose to
take their own safety personally. Continue to depend on the government for your
wellbeing if you so choose but stop trying to penalize those of us who understand
that our safety, and the safety of the ones we love, is our responsibility, and ours
alone.
Most of this article, except for a few additions, deletions, and corrections, was written
while I sat comfortably in a very upscale hotel room, in New Orleans. The irony is not
lost on me that I wrote a pro-2A column while visiting a place that’s trying harder to
be the murder / violent crime capitol of the universe than literally any other objective.
The amount of depravity in that city is nothing short of astounding. Depravity breeds
desperation, and desperation so often culminates with violence. When I did venture
outside the confines of my hotel fortress, I carried with me a gun, the same as I
always do even when I’m in my hometown. Because no matter where I am in the
world, I know that I have a wife and two children that are depending on my safe
return. Is my gun a magical talisman that will ward off evil? No – of course not.
Anyone can be caught off guard or flatfooted, and I certainly am no exception.
However, if that gun gives me even 1% better odds of survival, whether I’m on
Bourbon Street or right here on Main Street, why in the hell would I ever leave it
behind? It’s not that I assume I’ll need it. It’s that I understand the need for it is
possible. So, I take the measures necessary to ensure that if violent circumstances
do arise, that I’m as ready as I can be to make it back to the most important people in
my life, or perhaps return some other innocent person to their loved ones. Furthermore, I’m grateful, every day, to live in a nation that still allows me to do just that. In Louisiana, it seems that there are some elected officials who finally understand this concept. Granted, once a politician, always a politician – but if the ones responsible for returning Constitutional Carry to The People of Louisiana are merely blind squirrels, I hope and pray they keep on finding their nuts.
Thank you for reading – and remember…
Avoid what you can. Defeat what you can’t.
Ryan
(Ryan Barnette is not a licensed attorney and no information provided in “Slicing the Pie” or any other publication authored by Ryan Barnette should be construed, in any way, as official, legal advice.)