As we have often articulated in the past, July is an important month in American History. July 4th is the day our Nation celebrates the American Colonists adoption of the Declaration of Independence. This magnificent work spearheaded by Thomas Jefferson and aided by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin not only announced our separation (with our list of grievances) from Great Britain but also carried with it the universal decree that among our inalienable rights are the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
It is an easy and logical leap to make that the fundamental instrument to secure those rights is an individual’s right to defend themselves. To protect ourselves from any who would seek to unduly separate us from our life, liberty, or property. The secured right to a well-armed populace was not a position taken solely by Her more “radical” founders like Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and George Mason, but was an often-articulated argument from America’s more “moderate” founders in John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. These arguments were then codified into the Bill of Rights as our 2nd Amendment.
James Madison initially felt that the Bill of Rights was unnecessary because he felt that individual rights like well-armed citizens, freedom of speech, and due process were such innate, natural rights that they didn’t need to be articulated. Madison felt that they were so fundamental that it went without question that the states individually would protect these rights. Jefferson and Patrick Henry knew that this logic, while philosophically true, would crumble when the “rubber hit the road” of practical government. Henry and Jefferson knew that a strong Federal government without a list of clearly codified rights would lead to tyranny. Jefferson writing to Madison argued that when it comes to clearly articulated rights: “…let us secure what we can”.
Today, the words of Jefferson are just as true as they were 220-plus years ago. We must continue to “secure what we can”. While we must elect responsible federal candidates who are dedicated to securing our rights, we encourage you to be active at the state and local level. Local governments impact us on a daily basis as greatly as the Federal Government and can be just as big a threat (if not more) to our individual liberties. We encourage you to support strong defenders of the 2nd Amendment at the City, County, and State level.
We wish all of you a wonderful Fourth of July (and rest of the summer) filled with barbeques, fireworks, and loved ones.
Kenny Barlow
Sales & Marketing Manager