And that raises question for those who say they believe in the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The Panthers’ being race-obsessed collectivists notwithstanding, the question becomes one of whether such laws comport with “shall not be infringed.” [More]Absent aggressive conduct, does this constitute a threat?
3 comments:
The parallels between this march and the case of Presser v. Illinois are pretty strong, which implies that the locals may be able to “legally” shut it down regardless of whether or not Presser ultimately squares with the Second Amendment.
This police action is the notion that a "mala prohibita" trumps a fundamental right, a very questionable idea (not to mention, gun control). If people are not causing actual harm, they should not be disarmed. Disarming people is an act of war.
Keep in mind Mencken's observation:
"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."
The problem with advocating rights is that sometimes you have to advocate for people you might very much prefer NOT to have that right. The leftists claim to be all for of freedom of speech - until somebody stands up and says something they don't like; or find offensive. Even if some group does something awful, the people committing the unlawful acts should be punished not the organization of which they are members.
If we are not to be just as much hypocrites as those we oppose, we must accord our opponents every liberty we desire for ourselves. Yes, I know that doing so in the case of the Black Panthers puts us and our families at a degree of risk but the alternative is to put them at even greater risk.
Jefferson put it thusly:
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it."
I kina like what Orwell said, too.
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
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