By Nathan Barton

Have you seen this?

The NRA has it right – just not right enough – with the above image.  (No, I didn’t ask permission to use it but got it from Female and Armed at Facebook.)

Why not right enough?  Because our right to defend ourselves (and others) doesn’t stop at ANY border.  Not at state lines, county lines, municipal limits OR international borders.

The only boundary that might be legitimate for stopping such rights is a property boundary.

If the owner of the property doesn’t want people to be armed on their property (or at least, other than them and their employees), they certainly have the right to do so.  But (1) if they are friends, I’d suggest finding better ones.  If they are businesses, I’d suggest going someplace else to do business.  And if they are family, well, considering what splits families and causes divorces these days, do you REALLY need to visit them in person?  (2) they are being hypocrites if they let police officers, other government officials, and/or military personnel carry but not friends, family, or business associates (like customers).  Act accordingly – and tell them why.

But Americans have GOT to get over the idea that the right of self-defense, the right to keep and bear arms, is some “American right” that doesn’t apply to other people. We understood this once, back in the 1770s.  Consider this:

The engraving on this bell is from Leviticus 25:10:

“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all inhabitants thereof.”

Our right to keep and bear arms and the others in the Bill of Rights, are NOT “given by the Constitution.” Or by government. They are not limited to a specific land, or people, or state, or nation: they are global.  Liberty is global. Liberty is the birthright of ALL “inhabitants.” All people.

They are GOD-given rights, or NATURAL rights.  Rights we have because we are people – human.  We should have LONG been exporting our attitude and ideas about that basic human right to be armed and able to defend ourselves.  And we, as a people, as a nation, have failed miserably (with the possible exception of Mexico).  We are so proud (boastful) about “exporting” institutions like free speech, freedom of religion, right to fair trials and such to our conquered enemies. (Well, we used to be: in Germany and Italy and Japan at least. And in Korea.  Not so much in Afghanistan and Iraq (Mesopotamia).  Since we lost in ‘Nam, that probably doesn’t count. But we didn’t do it in Canada back in 1812, and only incidentally in Mexico in 1845-48, much less half of Latin America between then and 1940 or so.

(The subject of natural rights of self-defense for AmerInd is a whole different issue, for another time.  I DO support the right of ANY tribesman (or woman) to be armed, whether Pueblo or Dineh or Lakota or Askenazi or Modoc…)

We hear talk about “exporting democracy” and how wonderful that is.  But we are NOT (or should not be) exporting democracy.  After all, democracy is no supporter of liberty, of human rights, and does not protect liberty.  Indeed, democracy (rule by majority rule – that is, by the mob) has proved time and time again to take away liberty and steal rights.  Just as has now happened in New Zealand, and has happened in other Commonwealth countries and much of Europe.

Republics – in which government is held to limits and seen NOT to be the ultimate authority – have a slightly better track record.  Provided that they recognize and enforce the idea that human rights exist OUTSIDE the bounds of the state, the nation, and the government.

Human freedoms have no limit except the other person’s nose.  We have no right to AGGRESSIVELY use a weapon (even our fists or head or feet) against anyone – but the right given by nature and nature’s God (the Creator) to use them defensively.  Regardless of where we were born, whether we are naturalized, or what our status is.

It is time that we lovers of liberty, we who truly support human freedom, stop being defensive and begin to push for, to promote, a recognition that our rights come from nature, from our Creator.  And apply to every human being.