McPherson: Americans Like Their Guns, Part 2

As we celebrate July 4, and the enduring principles articulated in our Declaration of Independence, remember the role that firearms and an armed citizenry played in the American Revolution.

Not only did the militia – the people at large, bearing their private arms – serve an invaluable role in the military victory – George Washington would be moved at the end of the war to describe the militia as “the Palladium of our security, and the first effectual resort in case of hostility” – but assaults on the ancient right to keep and bear arms contributed to the spark that set the fire. In occupied Boston attempts were made to disarm the citizenry, and the King halted shipments of gun powder to the colonies; the seizure of militia stores in Concord brought about the “shot heard ‘round the world” – and all that followed.

For years leftist propagandists and anti-gun zealots have attempted to undermine the right to keep and bear arms by continuously alleging that Second Amendment supporters are just old white men – and probably racist too!

But recent polling data shows that women and blacks are increasingly embracing the freedom to own firearms, and recent urban unrest has brought together armed citizens, even those of difference races – all in the name of security.

Nearly 70% of Americans wish to live in areas where people are armed, and for the first time in twenty years of polling a majority (52%) wants government to stop infringing on the right to keep and bear arms. Most Americans don’t want gun control to be an issue in the 2016 presidential election. This despite the fact that only 1 in 3 Americans actually owns a gun – suggesting most people understand that just having an armed neighbor contributes to their personal safety. When was the last time you saw a “gun free zone” sign outside a private residence?

Interestingly, this also indicates that most Americans respect a right they don’t necessarily wish to exercise themselves. Liberty for me and for thee is the essence of a free society.

According to the Today show on NBC, another group is joining the ranks of gun-lovers: Millennials.

No one sees through lies like the young, and this generation can see the dishonesty in anti-gun demagoguery. They also see the failure of gun-control laws.

This July 4, let’s celebrate freedom, and smile knowing that the next generation is happily grabbing the torch we’ve passed to them.