Guns, who should be able to own them? Options

[*NatiMarie*]

We all know that guns can cause harm, they're everywhere darnit!

Primarily, who can own them? Who shouldn't own them?

[ComradeRed]

Dang...do you memorize this stuff? 

Alright well... first of all... it is still highly unlikely that the government will get oppressive enough that merits an armed revolt..

Second of all... what happened to all the progress we've made in civil rights and nonviolent protest? we're a role model countries all over the world.. if we revolt by means of force, it'll cause a chain reaction

Thirdly, if you will, please cite examples in the past where our government has oppressed us

1) I memorized the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The other quotes are copy-pasted.

2) You said law enforcement. When the government breaks the law, as it already has, it technically justifies armed enforcement of the Constitutin, just as if someone steals a pen, even though it doesn't do any real harm, we still prosecute.

Of course, there are practical problems to overthrowing the government every other day, but the fact remains that SOONER OR LATER, government will progress to the stage when armed rebellion is the only solution... This is what has happened with EVERY SINGLE REPUBLIC in history, including our own. That's why in the Declaration there's a clause that says some times you ahve to tolerate a LITTLE oppressive government, but when it gets so bad that there's no longer any way to stop it using legal means, then armed force is an acceptable means to do so.

Every Republic in history has gone through four stages:
Civic Republic
Imperial Republic
Welfare-State
Desptoism

It is customary to compare America to Rome. The Civic Republic is the Rule of Law and the devotion of the citizen-body to civic duty and the law, usually created by post-Revolutionary fervor. For the US, this is the period from the Revolution to the Civil War, while for Rome it was the period from 509 BC to the Punic Wars.

After the Republic becomes powerful, it looks outside its borders. After a great period of crisis (The Civil War or the Punic War), it expands into the Imperial Republic. This is the Republic dominated by expansionist or sometimes financial interests. This type of country has a small but corrupt government, endlessly pandering to a rich elite. For the US, this would be from the Civil War to the 1920s, and for Rome this would be from the Punic Wars to Julius Caesar (44 BC).

Usually, a major crisis ends the power of the old aristocracy and turns the power to liberals. This is the beginning of the Welfare-State. In America, this began with Roosevelt in the Great Depression. Power goes from "snobs to mobs". The rule of law, weakening in the previous stage, is almost totally disregarded in the name of hte common good. While this stage temporarily revitalizes a country, ultimately it leads to downfall. In Rome, this was "bread and circuses" -- free gladiator tickets. In teh US, I will say this stage started with the Great Depression and is ending.

Finally, a Republic goes into Despotism, when neither rule of law nor the common good is upheld. The government grows rapidly, quikcly becoming the single biggest entity in the country. People are oppressed by heavy taxes and arbitrary rule, and ultimately, they have no recourse but to overthrow their government. In the United States, this stage probably can said to have begun in 2001, whereas in Rome this meant from 300 AD onwards.

Power goes from THE LAW [Rule of Law/Republicanism] --> BUSINESS [Corrupted Rule of Law/Plutocracy] --> "THE PEOPLE" [Ignored Rule of Law/Socialism] --> THE GOVERNMENT [No Rule of Law/Oppression] --> (revolution) --> THE LAW

I'm not making this up; historically speaking this is what happens.