Honestly, I believe that gun culture is a pillar of freedom. It’s common to hear gun enthusiasts repeat impactful phrases about this relationship, but the fact is that most people don’t deeply understand how it works. The purpose of this post is not to talk about the importance of access to firearms, but, more importantly, to show that armed citizens alone are incapable of preventing tyranny if they are not vigilant and committed.
The common belief among gun owners leads us to think that armed citizens are an insurmountable barrier to tyranny. Day after day, people arm themselves, seeking protection against criminals in both the private and public spheres. They stockpile weapons, ammunition, and eventually specialize by taking courses or going to shooting ranges. Some go further, preparing their cars, food, water, and medicine. Some even generate their own electricity and ensure all kinds of self-sufficiency. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to say that all of this, on its own, is not enough. A predominant factor is missing for the success of any defensive strategy.
Without delving into history books (which corroborate what I’m about to say), simply observing what I have witnessed throughout my life, I’ve come to a simple conclusion: guns inside safes do not prevent tyranny. I’ve watched, outraged, as armed societies collapsed at the feet of illiterate dictators in South America and Africa. So where did it go wrong?
They say courage is doing what needs to be done, facing fear or even the reasonable possibility of an unfavorable outcome. A dictatorship doesn’t rise overnight. It grows like cancer, rooted in the government’s and state’s entrails. It infiltrates and begins to control the police, the armed forces, the executive, legislative, and judicial powers. When it’s finally entrenched enough, BANG, the hammer of oppression comes down.
Law-abiding citizens generally don’t realize the deep hole they’re in. Instead of responding proportionally to a severe attack on their life and liberty, they seek the means provided by the Constitution and the law, unaware that all those responsible for their application and interpretation are already hostages of the new regime.
When a dictatorship takes hold, the family man, the worker, the honest citizen becomes isolated. And the full force of the State is turned against him. The narrative? Democracy. They rig elections, manipulate the legislative process, corrupt the free press, all to sell the fallacy that the new regime was established democratically, according to the people’s will. A lie. But of course, the fact-checkers won’t let you share your opinion, for the sake of democracy!
Dictators manage to distort society’s moral compass, leaving only a few immune and alert to everything happening. Armed with pistols and rifles but with their guard down against the stealthiest attacks, citizens are gradually cornered.
And maybe, that’s where you find yourself. Armed, aware, and with the full weight of an oppressive state crushing your throat. You look at your flag, “Don’t tread on me,” and think: I have the guns, but do I have the courage to resist?
The unrestricted freedom to access firearms is important. The courage to do what’s right is indispensable.
