Reply #65: And of course, the truth that vexes both sides is... [View All]

[OmahaBlueDog]

That the NRA and the ACLU are flip sides of the same coin. Both have their favorite Constitutional amendments, and both fight doggedly to prevent perceived infringements on the rights those amendments represent.

I do take your point, and I agree, the argument works both ways, to a point.

All of our search and seizure rights came out of the data gathering abuses of the 18th century. The technology was far different, but the issues -- "terror" against the Crown, torture, search, and seizure are, essentially unchanged. Nobody likes terrorism, and nobody thinks it's not a threat; however, many feel that there's no plausible reason why legal law enforcement can't ask judges for warrants.

Guns are a paradox. They are a tool of tyrants and a vanguard against tyrrany, simultaneously. The vast majority of gun owners are honest and responsible, but we rarely hear live news reports from deer stands or target ranges. OTOH, a good alarm system is statistically better home defense than a handgun; the average handgun owner is statistically more likely to harm his/herself than ever shoot a n'er do well; and far more (far, far, more) Americans have died from gun violence than have died from non-state actor terrorism or state sponsored terrorism. OTOOH, if a President decided to dissolve Congress and suspend elections, those Constitutionally protected weapons would be our best recourse; however, the irony here is that most gun enthusiasts I know would support disbanding Congress and extending Presidential rule -- for this President in particular.