Why does the United States allow guns to circulate?

The emergence and practice of citizens' right to hold guns

Background and purpose

The United States is the first and only country in the world where citizens generally have the right to hold guns, and the voice of opposing citizens' universal right to hold guns is not new. Citizens usually have the right to carry weapons. Legally, it originated from Article 2 of the Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: A well-managed militia is a necessary condition to ensure the security of a free state, so the people's right to hold and carry weapons shall not be violated. The people are different from the government, and the people are different from the government military police in holding and carrying weapons. Defending a free state is different from defending a union. For more than 200 years, people have been in possession of weapons.

People knew the importance of holding a gun when they were fighting wild animals and robbers among pioneers. During the American War of Independence, militia and guerrilla warfare made people in all states generally realize that the universal right of citizens to bear guns is one of the basic contents of civil rights and state rights, the last means to defend civil rights and state rights, the deterrent and restriction to tyranny, and the steel defense line to defend freedom and peace. The founder held different views on the peasant uprising. Washington believes that the government should stop these riots and establish a stronger government. Jefferson said, "I like a little riot from time to time." "The tree of freedom must be constantly renewed and evergreen with the blood of patriots and autocratic rulers, which is its natural fertilizer."

In the early days of the founding of the United States, there were two propositions. One is to establish a centralized government composed of a few wealthy elites, called federalism, and the other is to establish a central government composed of representatives elected by the whole people and subject to local autonomy, called democracy, with Jefferson as the main representative.

The two factions are consistent in preventing tyranny and tyranny.

At the 1787 US Constitutional Convention, the opinions of Democrats were not fully reflected in the Constitution. Some people suggested that the constitution should have the basic rights of citizens, but it was rejected by 10: 0 when it was opposed, which caused dissatisfaction among the people in various States. Some states refused to ratify the constitution, while others demanded it as a prerequisite for ratification.

It was not until this constitution was approved and supplemented with its guarantees that it was approved by most States. This supplement, that is, Articles 1 to 10 in the constitutional amendment, is called the Bill of Rights, which embodies the demands of the people of various states, the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the people's sovereignty. It is in this constitutional background that citizens generally have the right to hold guns.

The purpose is to ensure that the power of the government comes from the people and the power of the state power comes from the people and the states that make up the country, and to prevent the emergence of powerful centralized government, foreign invasion, authoritarian regime, military dictatorship, oligarchy, national autonomy, freedom of thought and speech, religious belief, freedom of the press and publication, freedom of assembly and association, and freedom of election. The fundamental purpose is to establish a government ruled by the people, eliminate the government's restrictions on individual freedom, build this country on the basis of individual rights, that is, human rights, and establish the first line of defense against abuse of power.

The Bill of Rights is the result of the struggle of American democratic forces and people to balance, neutralize and weaken their efforts and tendencies to build a country with a concentrated minority, a highly centralized government and a highly centralized central government. This is also a victory for the democratic forces and the people of all countries. Today, it seems to be a victory of human civilization.

The separation and balance of power is to restrict power with power. The purpose of establishing a federation is to enable states with the same interests and requirements to establish a unified market, a unified foreign policy, a unified national defense, a unified finance and form a country. At the same time, ensure state autonomy, ensure state supervision and restriction on federal power, and ensure equal opportunities, fair competition, equality, mutual benefit and common development of all States. The purpose of establishing federal power is to form a unified country and government, establish a unified market, safeguard the interests of States and limit federal power. The establishment of state power is to ensure the equality among states, the special interests of states, the autonomy of states, the supervision and restriction of the central government, and the prevention of the abuse of power by the central government. The establishment of citizens' basic rights is to fundamentally protect people's freedom, people's management and control of the government, national autonomy and people's autonomy, and prevent the government from abusing its power.

The power granted by the people to the government is limited, and so is the power granted by the local government to the central government. Citizens generally have the right to hold guns, which means that the government is not allowed to monopolize weapons, reflecting that the people have not fully authorized the government. The people authorize the government's permanent military police to possess weapons and exercise social management functions, while retaining the people's right to hold guns, the people's right to self-protection, the people's right to supervise and the government, so as to achieve the purpose of people using the government to manage society, people managing and restricting the government, and people participating in social management and government.

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Jefferson proposed to make the United States a democratic base.

Only people who believe in the majority can build such a country. Only in this country, and only when a country of this nature is established, can people generally have the right to hold guns. Only when the people generally have the right to hold guns can such a country exist for a long time.

Later generations said that Washington was the father of the United States, Jefferson was the father of American democracy, Washington made the United States independent and became a newly established country, and Jefferson made the United States a democratic country and a new country.

Success and problems

Any management measures have advantages and disadvantages, and there are contradictions. Citizens generally have the right to bear guns, but there are two sides.

For more than two hundred years, there has been no dictatorship, military dictatorship, oligarchy, elite monopoly, unlimited power and centralized power in the United States.

The United States has become the country with the most developed education and culture, the most developed science and technology economy and the most perfect social welfare guarantee. It has become a country with the middle class as the main body and a large number of rich people donating money to run public welfare undertakings. It has become the most attractive and inclusive immigrant country in the world today. It has become the most stable country in the world in the past 200 years, with the least civil war and civil strife. It has become the most open and mobile country in the world, and it has become the most democratic and legal country in the world.

The universal right of citizens to bear guns plays an important role in ensuring the freedom, stability and development of American society. There was a model in the United States. An 80-year-old woman who was unable to walk in a wheelchair took out a pistol at the bottom of the wheelchair and killed a strong young man who came in to rob. There was a miracle. A six-year-old boy knocked out a bad immigrant after his parents were knocked unconscious by a robbery at home. When the public security in the American campus is not good, many parents quickly send guns to their daughters who live on campus for self-defense. This is just a manifestation that this right plays an active role in people's daily life.

Citizens generally have the right to hold guns, but it also brings some problems to American society. In the United States, there are school shootings, corporate shootings and street shootings. These problems are insignificant compared with the destruction of the people by authoritarian governments, military dictatorships and civil strife. Compared with success, these costs are negligible.

Compared with China in the past 200 years, the problems brought by autocratic government, military dictatorship and foreign invasion are minimal. Excluding the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the ten-year civil war, the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, 20 million people died in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression alone, and more than 20 million people died in just three years of economic difficulties. Now, murder, rape and robbery are also happening every day. This is far more than just Americans killing each other.

The Soviet Union killed more than 20 million people in just one big purge, accounting for 1/9 of the total population. This is far more than just Americans killing each other.

During World War II, when the Germans attacked, the Polish army collapsed in less than 10 days, the Dutch army collapsed in less than 5 days, Belgium surrendered in only 18 days, and the French army collapsed in less than 1 month. The army is not necessarily reliable.

The population of the United States has changed from more than 3 million at the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China to more than 200 million now. If there are really 6,543,800 shootings and 6,543,800 casualties in the United States every year, all Americans will die in a few years.

Weighing the pros and cons, we can't help but say that the Democrats and ancestors in the United States are far-sighted and very successful.

Essence and function

Should citizens have the right to carry guns? Fundamentally speaking, do you believe most of them? Do people need to protect themselves? Should people have the right to protect themselves? Is the government omnipotent? Is every elite who enters the government, military police and even national leaders perfect and will never change quality? Is it possible for the government to deteriorate? Have the people abolished, established, managed, controlled and replaced the power of the government? Should people have weapons? Should the people have the power to resist tyranny and foreign aggression? Does social stability and development depend on the broad masses of the people or only a few people?

If citizens generally do not have the right to hold guns, it means that most people in society do not have the right to hold guns. Among these most people, irrational people and bad people are in the minority, and good people and smart people are in the majority. Prohibiting citizens from owning guns generally is actually prohibiting most good people from legally owning guns, because it is impossible to completely prohibit a few bad people from illegally obtaining guns, and it is impossible to guarantee that a few bad people will never get guns, let alone guarantee that every good person with guns will never become a bad person. Prohibiting citizens from owning guns usually leads to the result that law-abiding people can't legally own and use guns, while law-abiding people can often illegally own and use guns.

Citizens generally have the right to hold guns, which means that no one or organization, including the government and military police, has the privilege of monopolizing the use of violence. This is a powerful ultimate supervision force for the government, the standing army and the police. It can effectively prevent gun owners from abusing guns in a timely and extensive manner, and can effectively prevent guns from becoming the lifeblood of tyranny and corrupt rule by a few people. At the same time, it is also a force that can make up for and expand the role of the standing army and the police anytime and anywhere. When the people can't overthrow the autocratic and corrupt government or the government against the people's will through peaceful means, the people can quickly organize and resist tyranny with violence; When a foreign enemy invades or suddenly attacks, especially when the standing army cannot effectively resist or fail, the people can quickly organize to resist; When people suddenly encounter violence or threats in their lives and public security organizations and personnel can't play their roles in time and effectively, it can enhance people's confidence and ability to protect themselves; When the old, the weak and the sick are infringed by the strong, it will help to reduce the advantages of the strong and increase the resistance and confidence of the old, the weak and the sick; In daily life, it helps to cultivate people's spirit of self-reliance, self-help, autonomy, resistance and social responsibility.

Some people in China often tell such jokes when they talk about some weak people being robbed in broad daylight and calling for help, but no one cares and bystanders are indifferent. If Americans had been present at that time, this kind of thing would have been handled. Some people in China like to call it "the world policeman". As a result, someone fell into the water. Many people watched on the shore, but no one jumped in to save people. As a result, a few gangsters without guns can rob dozens of people in a car.

What is even more remarkable is that after World War II, the US military occupied West Germany and Japan, helping them transform into democratic, developed and independent countries.

Costs and risks

In some countries where citizens have no right to carry guns, and in some countries where the government strictly controls guns, many innocent people have died, either in civil war, invasion by foreign enemies, tyranny or hunger. American citizens generally have the right to hold guns, not without gun control. The purpose of gun control in the United States is to ensure that most citizens have the right to hold guns and the right to legally acquire and use guns, not to restrict the right of most citizens to hold guns, not to make the right of citizens to hold guns a privilege of a few people, nor to ensure the monopoly of a few people on guns. Historically, civil wars, tyranny, civil strife, hunger, foreign invasion and aggression in various countries were not caused by people or citizens' universal possession of weapons or gun rights.

It is terrible that gangsters have guns to do evil and underworld organizations have guns to do evil, but it is even more terrible that people don't have guns to resist. It is a terrible thing to have gangs and bandits with guns, and it is even more terrible to have gang fights with guns. But what is even more frightening is that there is an autocratic and corrupt government, a belligerent and overbearing government, a fascist government, a government eager for success, a government of extortion and profligacy, a government that rapes public opinion, a rogue government and a rogue government. A government and gendarmerie department controlled by corrupt officials, hooligans, bullies, swindlers, riffraff, royal literati, profiteers, senior corrupt men and thugs is far more harmful than gangs or some people who don't obey the law.

Prohibiting people from owning guns in general and guns and ammunition in private actually deprives people of their right to safeguard their freedom and life, weakens and deprives people of their self-defense and self-protection ability, weakens and deprives people of their autonomy and self-management ability, protects a few people from monopolizing and controlling their power to manage society and government, leaves people's life and dignity and their fate and future to a very few people, prohibits people from managing and supervising the government, and weakens their ability to resist autocratic and corrupt rule.

When unarmed people are faced with gunmen or autocratic and corrupt rulers, they will be like sheep facing ferocious wolves. In a society, 99% of people are mostly good people, but they don't have the right to hold guns. When 1% people monopolize the right to hold guns, they act recklessly, and this society will pay a heavy price for it. In a society, 99% people do not have the right to hold guns, only 1% people have the right to hold guns, and 99% people's life and dignity depend on 1% people's consciousness and conscience, which is very unsafe. When 99% people entrust their own safety to 1% people, and there is no strong and effective constraint, what should we do when 1% people are irresponsible or endanger the lives and property of 99% people? The good guys in 1% can't control it. What about the bad guys in 1%? What if this 1% person is controlled by the bad guys? If 99% of the people have guns, then 1% of the people want to run amok with guns, they should first consider the guns in their hands.

It is very important for the people that guns and weapons exist widely among the people.

Public opinion and society

Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a few people monopolizing the right to hold conventional weapons with that of the vast majority of people, judging from the process and results of the American social change movement, and from the historical development process and current results of the whole human society, American citizens generally have the right to hold guns, which is not a big shortcoming of American society, but a big advantage of American society.

It is an organic part of human rights, one of the most solid, extensive and profound cornerstones of American democratic system and social stability, the last line of defense to defend democratic ideas and democratic system, the line of defense for the people to protect themselves, and the steel line of defense composed of people who exist everywhere all the time. It is the strong backing and unshakable foundation of people's autonomy, local autonomy and local equality, democracy and the rule of law, people's supervision, management and control of government and military police, and prevention and resistance to foreign aggression, and it is one of the manifestations of full freedom and equality of citizens. It has effectively guaranteed the steady development of the United States on the track of democracy for more than 200 years. It is a competitive advantage and priceless treasure created by Americans themselves, an organic part of American society full of vitality, one of the powerful internal forces of American society, one of the foundations of American society's material civilization and spirit, and one of the crystallization of American society's spiritual civilization and human civilization. It is the product of freedom, democracy, equal development and social progress to a certain stage. It is the most thorough expression of people's sovereignty thought. It fully embodies the leading role and basic role of public power in American society. It fully embodies the human rights, civilization, democracy, equality, openness, stability and strong level of American society.

This country has developed through experimentation and adventure, diversity and inclusiveness, trust in the people and people's doubts, challenges and compromises.

Nixon stepped down in tears in the Watergate scandal, Clinton confessed his privacy with Lewinsky to Congress in the sex scandal, the conflict between Gore and George W. Bush made the court rule, and scandals in the military and national security departments were often exposed. Roosevelt declared war on Japan with the consent of Congress. George W. Bush announced that the war against the Taliban must be approved by Congress, and the war against Saddam must be authorized by Congress. Presidents, governors and congressmen must all canvass in the election. The government has no newspapers and television, and there is no domestic radio station. No political party has the right to monopolize thought, speech, press and publication, assembly and association. No one can monopolize the press and publication to whitewash themselves and attack and slander others. No one can reverse right and wrong, distort the facts, and fool the people by dominating the market and monopolizing exclusive business. No consortium has the ability to buy off most people and most voting rights. If most people are satisfied with Clinton and Gore is a handsome guy with a glib mouth, he can't even compare with George W. Bush. Many people think that Florida has excellent governance, and the economic achievements of the United States during the Clinton administration benefited from the reforms during the Reagan administration. It is said that Margaret Thatcher is the representative of the first generation of new free economy, Reagan is the second generation, and George W. Bush is the third generation.

In this kind of society, there is an open system, measures without public opinion foundation are difficult to exist for a long time, people without public opinion foundation are difficult to come to power, and the constitution and laws are not tools for a few people to follow their inclinations. The main task of parliamentarians is to turn what the people want into practical laws and regulations. Massachusetts and Maryland have the strictest gun control laws, which shows that people in these States generally demand strict gun control. Forty-two of the 50 states lack basic gun control laws, which shows that people in these states disapprove of strict gun control, and most states and people in the United States disapprove of strict gun control. If the Second Amendment is a mistake, if most people oppose the universal right of citizens to bear guns, people have made an amendment according to Article 5 of the US Constitution.

However, if the American people give up this right and freedom, it is equivalent to giving up the right and freedom to defend freedom by force immediately when freedom is attacked by force. When freedom is challenged by force, people pay a heavy price. The advanced nature of the United States may be degraded and inferior.

Americans have accumulated more than 200 years of practical experience, thinking, discussing, arguing and weighing for more than 200 years. Some people advocate that the American people give up this right, while others advocate that the people should not trust and rely on the government excessively, because the government is made up of people, and the American people still retain this right.

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The above views are different. A policy that has gone through hundreds of years has become an integral part of a country's culture, and it is not so easy to make it clear.

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The emergence and practice of citizens' right to hold guns