[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Sarah_W

No other citizen in the world enjoys the level of freedom and the Liberty of Americans. Millions cross our borders seeking such freedom. The 2nd Amendment is not emotional, no more than Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. The 2nd Amendment ensures you can protect the rest of your Rights.

One must also consider a comparison of authoritarianism and abuse of citizens’ individual rights.

Australia, prior to the “assault” weapons ban was a model of democracy in which individual rights and freedom of the people were respected and protected. During COVID we saw the use of force against and the beatings of peaceful protesters (as well as people who dared go to the grocery for food or medicines), extreme lockdowns, intrusion into personal communications, forced use of a personal movement tracking app, construction and use of internment camps in which COVID positive people were forced by the military to live.

Too many U.S. citizens don’t know, on April 18, 1775, British troops left Boston headed for the towns of Lexington and Concord. The next day, 15 months before the writing of the Declaration of Independence, was the first battle of the American Revolution. The British were not looking for rebels or the leaders who were advocating resistance to the Crown. They were under specific orders to seize and destroy arms and munitions believed to be hidden in the two towns.

This first battle of the Revolution was fought over gun control. The British government wanted to seize the lawfully owned firearms of the colonists. If British troops could disarm the militia, there would be less of a threat to their control. This is one of the main reasons the Second Amendment was written into such a prominent place in our Bill of Rights.

Equally unknown to our citizens today is that the Constitution was conditional on the Bill of Rights. In other words, the States did not want to ratify the Constitution unless certain Rights were enshrined. The Framers could have inserted those Rights into the Constitution but chose not to for fear that in the future it might be construed that those were the only Rights that Americans – as in a parchment barrier.

Judging from what we see today, I’m certain their fear would have been realized. So, they chose the amendment process and from the original list of amendments, ten were ratified to become our Bill of Rights. For some of the Framers that was not good enough. If James Madison is the father of the Constitution, George Mason is the father of the Bill of Rights, patterned and borrowed form the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Still, George Mason, one of the most prolific debaters during the Constitution Convention, Edmund Randolf, and Elbridge Gerry refused to sign the newly written Constitution as they felt it was a flawed document. Thomas Jefferson and others would agree.

I never want the US to end up like Australia. If that happens, Liberty is dead.

There are WORLD lists that rate countries according to each country's QUALITY OF LIFE for its citizens. The US was in the top 10 right after WW2. Then gradually the US slipped to between 20th and 35th for some variables like UPWARD MOBILITY. These lists portray the US CORRECTLY with respect to other countries. Most people in the US would LIKE to believe that the US is best at EVERYTHING. It is only natural that people feel patriotic toward THEIR country and believe that it is the best. France believes that France is the best country in the world. It is only natural. If anyone wants to know where their particular country rates on any particular quality - they have to go to the IMPARTIAL world lists.

Incidentally, the Scandanavian countries and Switzerland dominate the top 10 of those lists. So, I believe that they have the highest level of "freedom and Liberty". And I do NOT, personally, feel that "millions of illegal immigrants" entering the US is a good thing because they will bring with them the ACCEPTANCE of the authoritarian societies that they are escaping from. And the US has too much population already!