[M. Sage]

I support the right to keep and bear arms because...

I cherish all the rights I have, whether enumerated in the Constitution or not, and the best only way to protect those rights, when it comes down to it, is through the implied threat or overt use of force against those who would strip us of them.

I cherish my life (and by extension my property), and the best way to protect them is through use of arms. The money I earn and the possessions I buy with that money represent a chunk of my life that I've traded away. Protecting my property from theft is no different than protecting my life from attack.

I cherish the lives of those I love, and the best way I can protect them from people who wish them harm is by being prepared (I've been told "eager" on occasion) to do violence in their defense. This is a big one for me. I feel sorry in advance for anybody who enters my home with the intent of harming me and my wife. To get to her, they'll have to come through me, and I don't plan on making that easy. I feel sorry for them... right now. Later there won't be any sympathy.

I cherish a system that protects my rights as listed above, and will fight to the death to defend it.

[The Wingnut]

I can't pin my fight for my rights to any particular event or reason.

I was born and raised in what I consider the twilight of common sense. My memories of childhood recall a much more carefree world, although that's viewed through the eyes of nostalgia and the perception of a child at the time. I've watched personal responsibility disappear, accountability of the government to the citizen get progressively eroded, the blatant denial of natural rights through legislation, the growth of entitlement, shallow, meaningless pop culture and extremes of needless consumerism...

I was born into a world where as a child I was told that I could live as I saw fit, determine my own path in life and answer only to myself unless I posed significant harm to others without justification.

...now I am increasingly told that I must answer to those whom have little to no authority over me, who cannot represent me or have ever met me. My options in life are chipped away at, reduced, regulated, marginalized, banned, vilified, or condemned by both an increasingly power-hungry and self-serving government and by fellow citizens whom there is no precedent or law that obligates me to listen to them.

Firearms to me represent a last-stand hard line answer for the citizen against what is shaping up to be a government that will someday forget its purpose and re-define it as completely self-serving. Too many citizens have assumed 'it can't happen here' or have become entirely complacent and apathetic. Educators and media outlets have become indoctrinated and current generations moving into the administrative age are almost entirely state and media raised by hands-off workaholic proxy parents.

For those of us still retaining common sense, decency, a proper working knowledge of responsibility, accountability and individual liberty, the time may come soon to make the ultimate stand against a totalitarian force bent on oppression and subjugation under the false pretenses of of communal welfare and global unity.

When that time comes, it is the duty of the individual to be prepared to defend themselves and their own. In the meantime, the individual oppressor - thieves, predators, those of a violent nature - are well-deterred and halted in extreme cases by the armed and responsible individual.

Plus, guns make neat sounds and poke holes in stuff from far away.

[Rob360]

To preserve Liberty.

To fight Tyranny.

To protect my family.

This is still one of the most articulate statements I have seen on the issue:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...537893819675&p

[bulgron]

I grew up shooting with my dad, but never took it seriously.

Then I moved to California and three months later we had the Loma Prieta. That freaked me out a bit and, in addition to a few other "earthquake preparedness" things, I bought my first gun. But I still didn't take it very seriously.

Then Clinton got his AW ban passed, and that made me mad as hell. So I started to research the 2A just to make sure I had a right to be mad. And I did. But I still didn't take it seriously.

Then a long time passed and one day I woke up and I realized my little girls were growing up. And I started to think about how society sometimes treats women. And I had to admit that their best chance -- should things go south when the day comes that I'm not there to protect them -- is a gun. But there were all these scary stories coming out of NOLA post-Katrina. And I knew that if I did nothing, then uncaring government officials might one day deny my girls access to the most effective tool for self-defense.

And that's when I took it seriously.

[Foulball]

Because my Grandfather (retired as a full bird) and two of his three brothers fought in WWII and all four fought in Korea. They fought against oppression and tyranny. My grandfather wanted to make sure of his children and grandchildren would have the same freedoms that this country was founded on.

My great-uncle Phil was in the 1st Ranger Bn (Company B) (Sgt) and was KIA Cisterna,Italy as a member of the 3rd Ranger Bn (Company E).

They didn't fight for England, France, Italy or Korea. They fought for the USA and the promise that it held. Our family continues to cherish the values that our founding fathers put in place for without them, all will have died in vain.
The 2nd Amendment guaranties that we will not go quietly into the night.

[Theseus]

For me, I have to say that I have always had a strange and unexplainable disdain for authority.

I have for an unexplained reason always sought to square off with those that are in a position of power, especially so if they are of questionable judgment or character.

I have always believed that Government is as much a sentient being as we are. Once established the Government will do all in its power to grow and survive and that it will not stop unless there is a more powerful force to stop it or keep it in check.

I believe that the 2nd Amendment is the one amendment that most appropriately reflects the true spirit that is America. The idea that one person is in the position to make the greatest difference in their own life is a powerful thing that can motivate an individual to achieve great things. The free-thinking independent spirit of America is encapsulated in the 2nd Amendment because it is a means to ensure that the people also understand that with the great freedoms comes the responsibility of defending it, something that I think is always a valuable and important lesson.

I fight for it because in the famous words of John McClaine, "I just don't trust anyone else to do it."

[Prc329]

2 words. My Family.

[the_quark]

I can't even remember when I started this fight - I remember my Granddad showing me his guns as a kid. I remember shooting as a teenager, and being angered by all the gun laws coming out in the mid-to-late 80s.

I'm involved to safeguard The Republic.

[383green]

I'm rather pig-headed; once I get an idea through my thick skull, it's not easily dislodged.

I'm also an engineer. I'm not just talking about my job and my career; I was born an engineer. Seeing a pile of problems, figuring out their least common denominator and then focusing on that alone, is just the way I think. The fact that it nicely pays the bills is just a happy coincidence.

On top of all of that, I have always reacted very negatively to any perceived injustice.

As many have noted, the 2nd Amendment is the one that secures all of the other ones, and it's the last-resort tool when everything else fails in the defense of liberty. I guess I'm just hard-wired to focus on it for that reason.

It helps that I'm fascinated by well-made, complicated mechanical things.

I've known people who would say that my guns serve as surrogate phalluses and make me feel like a big man. I would find such comments to be offensive to my dignity and character. Not necessarily inaccurate, but definitely offensive.

[andalusi]

Originally Posted by oaklander

What motivates you to fight for Second Amendment rights?

That it is a right is reason enough. I always thought the Second Amendment only made sense if meant as an individual right, not a collective one.

Even when I wasn't in the least bit interested in owning a gun (and I grew up in Texas!), I supported the right of my peers to do so. Being a gun owner now myself, I have a more immediately obvious vested interest, I suppose, but I'd feel the same even if I hadn't decided to take firearms training or purchase any firearms.

[Texas Boy]

Because life without liberty is not worth living, and the 2A embodies the concept that liberty without the means of defending said liberty is not liberty at all.

[TheDM]

Originally Posted by oaklander

What motivates you to fight for Second Amendment rights?

So I don't have to use it for the reason it was put there.

[cbn620]

I grew up shooting guns, with a father and uncle who both served in Vietnam. I fired my first real gun at 5 and it became a great hobby for me by the time I was 12 years old; not just shooting but working on and studying firearms. I always knew I supported peoples' right to own guns but in youthfulness I didn't really understand the complexities of why.

My bookishness led me to many philosophical studies throughout my teen years, and particularly after studying the American revolution, libertarianism, and anarchism I was led to think more about and appreciate civil rights. I realized the RKBA is one of those rights that does not get enough respect and is indeed by some people not even considered a true right. Being astounded by this, and having come of age during the Internet revolution, I was eventually led to discussion groups and bulletin boards, linking me up with likeminded people across the country. I guess the rest speaks for itself.

Not a particularly interesting story and probably very similar to most peoples' here, but I thought I'd mention it anyways.

[redneckshootist]

I fight for it because Ive seen first hand what a difference a firearm can and will make in a life or death situation, Im alive to tell about it.

[Untamed1972]

Because it is my belief that it is the inborn hearts desire, and God given right of all persons to be free and live free, so as to seek their own destiny and personal evolvement. I beleive the Constitution was an inspired document which was meant to enumerate that inborn desire and attempt to protect it from those forces of evil and domination that would attempt to subjogate mankind and strip them of there freedom and impede or halt their personal evolution as persons and as souls.

Absolute domination can never be allowed to exist as it would interupt the evolutionary cycle of all souls. For those of a spiritual (or religious) nature, remember it is said that there was even war in heaven at one time when an attempt was made to seize control of that plane of existence. There will always be forces of evil seeking domination and it is the duty of all right-hearted individuals to resist and defeat those forces of evil with whatever means they have to do so.

This is why I have always liked the sheep/sheepdog/wolf analogy. Some people are not capable to defending themselves, and some of them might not even know they need to be defended. But it is still the obligation of those of who DO know that defense is needed to do so for the benefit of ourselves, our families and society as a whole....whether society knows it or appreciates it.

That is why I fight for ALL constitutional rights, 2A being the one that makes defense of those liberties possible in this plain of existence.

[Davidwhitewolf]

It crystallized for me as a poor student in Whitebear's gun store in Concord (now long gone, sadly) as the AWB was about to take effect. A uniformed San Jose police officer who was a recent immigrant from Ukraine saw me looking wistfully at the AR he was buying and cheerfully told me not to worry, that as long as I could buy a .22 I could get any weapon I wanted if it came time to resist the government. Then he explained how.

That a uniformed cop was telling me this was electrifying.

That he'd lived until recently under one of the most oppressive regimes in world history, and was directly applying that life experience to California, was eye-opening. Changed my whole perspective on the Second Amendment.

[high_revs]

I now fight and advocate fighting to friends/family becuase:

1) In the past few years, I've seen slow erosion of our rights and having a governtment dictate how we should live in their beliefs
2) I'd like to be able to defend myself/family/home if shtf happens. Of course, I can use a bat, knife, etc. But why when a firearm carries much more deterrent to criminals trying to do me/us harm. I know people who have had burglary, had that happened to me and I just so happen to be home, I shudder to think what I can do w/o my 2A.

[Al_Gore]

Originally Posted by oaklander

What motivates you to fight for Second Amendment rights?

I fight for the 2A because I've traveled around the world, and I've seen the rule of governments go beyond the control of the people.

I fight for the 2A because I've seen the corruption of police and military, I know first hand how incredible this country is and how free we really are even given all of the encroachment from DC and Sacramento.

I fight for the 2A because I've talked with people who have believed there is nothing they can do to stop governments, the same people who are not allowed to own guns... and I'm not willing to accept that in the country I love, not without a fight.

Oh... and I fight for the 2A because shooting is one hell of a good time.

[Steyr_223]

The 2nd Amend enable us to protect the Four Freedoms. It's also known as the 5th Freedom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freedoms

* Freedom of speech and expression
* Freedom of religion
* Freedom from want
* Freedom from fear
* Freedom to defend [by any means necessary] the first four freedoms

[Rob360]

Originally Posted by Al_Gore

I fight for the 2A because I've traveled around the world, and I've seen the rule of governments go beyond the control of the people.

I fight for the 2A because I've seen the corruption of police and military, I know first hand how incredible this country is and how free we really are even given all of the encroachment from DC and Sacramento.

I fight for the 2A because I've talked with people who have believed there is nothing they can do to stop governments, the same people who are not allowed to own guns... and I'm not willing to accept that in the country I love, not without a fight.

Oh... and I fight for the 2A because shooting is one hell of a good time.

You've come a long way Al!

[socalsheepdog]

Originally Posted by BTF/PTM

Second, the 2nd Amendment is under attack by the most assinine logic out there. Some people actually believe that limiting or eliminating access to arms by legislation will end crime and make society safer. The concept that Americans should simply stand by and support these arguments that laws against arms will prevent the lawless from acting is abhorrent and must be resisted with everything we have. I feel that in many ways the fight to uphold our 2nd Amendment is also a fight to uphold logic and reason.

I feel the same way. I get so angry at all the "nanny" laws that politicians pass in this state. They can't get real work done so they draft all this crap up that won't make a difference. All the pandering politicians do these days makes me sick.

Originally Posted by Lex Arma

I am also a former Boy Scout. (Do they still have shooting/hunting merit badges?)

I was in Boy Scouts of America also and really fell in love with the outdoors and shooting thanks to this organization. I turned 18 before I could get my Eagle and it has been my only regret in life. I learned everything I need to know to be a responsible firearms owner from Scouts. We had great parent volunteers that loved to shoot and made sure we were safe about it. Scouting taught how to be a good citizen, nothing I learned in school could compare. The skills I learned in the BSA will provide for me and my family for the rest of my life.

They do still have shooting merit badges these days but they are not as tough as they were in years past to earn. When I earned Rifle/Shotgun at summer camp at Lost Valley, myself and one other scout from my troop were the only ones to qualify high enough to earn the badge. Most other kids ran out of money before they made it. It's not that way anymore. I remember the pride the two of us had. We got to help run the range and we were able to shoot many other rifles owned by the Range Master at the time. I remember how much trust was given to us at such a young age and it felt great. Many other kids looked up to us. It was a great experience and it is directly tied to firearms. I will always fight for the right. It is just in me.

[MrClamperSir]

I believe it is what keeps us free.

[SubstanceP]

Originally Posted by Mute

The 2nd Amendment represents one of the most important foundations of a free society, that is, the simple and basic right of self determination. It's very hard to take away a persons ability to determine his own fate when that person is armed and it seems every type of government that evolves devolves eventually reach a point where it wants to take away some, if not all of that ability to choose.

Very well said 'cept one minor detail.

There. Fixed it for ya.

[McCrown]

To be able to protect my self and my family if I need to.

and because I don't know which is more true:

"the government fears its people" or "the people fear their government"

which scares me every time I think about it.

[jacques]

The people who sacrificed their lives in the revolutionary war, to win our freedom and give us the greatest country ever, did not do so in vain.

Unfortunately, there are many who would like to change that. The constitution must stand and all rights must be fought for. Without the 2nd, tyranny will prevail. No rights will be protected. It is essential. It is also essential for individual protection and that of foreign invasion.

There is a ton to say on this. But most everything I have to say has been said in this thread.

This is a good thread oak. If anything, it shows that even with all the squabbling that can go on around here, everyone has a common interest.

[luvtolean]

I'm not sure I do fight for the second honestly. I mean, I shoot, I own OLLs, I read and research, I help others get educated and buy OLLs, I belong to the NRA, I debate on the web...doesn't seem to exactly be fighting.

I don't really remember being taught to shoot, though my best early memories of shooting were with my grandpa in his orchard, and him turning me loose as an 11 year old with a .22...just as he had been. It's a fundamental character trait of me, not even a conscious decision, to be a shooter.

Getting Rifleshooting was pretty cool, most couldn't qualify when I got it either. I still have the 10/22 I got it with; Dad and I bought it at a pawn shop cash and carry like honest men.

I got turned off to guns by waking up from college to an AWB. When I moved in with my wife she wanted a pistol in the house and I couldn't believe the BS I had to go through to get it. Then I started getting educated on the .50BMG ban...and then really got serious about understanding the courts and government when I found out about OLLs. I did get much more serious around Katrina, as it occurred as I was assuming true head of household responsibilities too.

My reading and research on this stuff has made me a far better citizen. Honestly, even as a GATE/AP/IB and college educated student, who has always liked reading history, I couldn't have told you what the 14th Amendment was for were it not for the current events around the Second...

[B Strong]

I'm a believer in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as a whole, not just for the rights I exercise and support, but for all of 'em.

Growing up in the gun culture, and seeing the growing assault on the right I cherish, I can relate to those who are denied their rights by government sanction or popular opinion.

I fight in every way possible for the Second Amendment.

I refuse to allow my lifes course to be determined by third parties basing their beliefs on the lowest common denominator.

[Untamed1972]

Originally Posted by socalsheepdog

They do still have shooting merit badges these days but they are not as tough as they were in years past to earn. When I earned Rifle/Shotgun at summer camp at Lost Valley, myself and one other scout from my troop were the only ones to qualify high enough to earn the badge. Most other kids ran out of money before they made it. It's not that way anymore. I remember the pride the two of us had. We got to help run the range and we were able to shoot many other rifles owned by the Range Master at the time. I remember how much trust was given to us at such a young age and it felt great. Many other kids looked up to us. It was a great experience and it is directly tied to firearms. I will always fight for the right. It is just in me.

Oh the days of when if you wanted something you actually had to EARN it! But what came with that was the pride and satisfaction of personal accomplishment.

But instead of something meaningful like that....today we have "We're all winners!"

[Nodda Duma]

I work for 2A rights for the sake of future generations. While I hope and believe that in our lifetime we will not require the use of arms as was needed during the Revolutionary War, I am not arrogant enough to assume that future generations will not.

Unfortunately, there are those in America who would take that choice away from future generations for the sake of their own comfort.

More immediately, it is to ensure I can defend myself and my family, and teach my two daughters and unborn son to defend themselves as well.

-Jason

[EDR]

I reserve the right to defend my family and myself from bodily harm or worse. I'm also more and more dismayed by legislators creating laws that will not affect the ones they're intended to deter but instead will criminalize those they're trying to protect. It's like planting land mines to deal with a bird problem. It's getting trickier and trickier to walk around these days.

[USAFTS]

My Great-Grandfather...Both of my grandfathers...My Father...and I....all served this country in the protection of FREEDOM. MANY, MANY lives were sacrificed so that we could exercise ALL of the rights specifically itemized in and guaranteed by the Constitution. If we allow anyone, (let alone our own government), to take those rights away from us, then not only is FREEDOM lost but every life that was given to protect FREEDOM, was lost for no reason at all. the 2nd Amendment represents our FREEDOM.

THAT is why we fight for our 2nd Amendment rights.

[Centurion_D]

Why do we Fight for 2A Rights?


Because it's the Good Fight!

[slappomatt]

Originally Posted by oaklander

What motivates you to fight for Second Amendment rights?

For me, it was Hurricane Katrina. I'd been shooting off and on for years, but seeing the SHTF in N.O. made me realize how vulnerable my family was (we just had a new baby).

I vowed at that point to fight (not only looters), but also those who would take away the right of defense. . .

EDIT: this pic speaks for itself:

That picture tells me you should have used flash to freeze the blur JK cute kid! I have a 2yr old daughter myself. She will be well defended is all I will say.

[hoffmang]

Because we can't let these guys down:



-Gene

[Al_Gore]

Originally Posted by hoffmang

Because we can't let these guys down: ...

-Gene

or these ones...

[7x57]

Originally Posted by hoffmang

Because we can't let these guys down:

Nearly every one of those boys grew up hunting, fishing, shooting, and it was regarded as a good thing for boys to do.

7x57

[.454]

Why do I Fight for 2A Rights?

Communism. I've seen it, I've lived it. I will hate it until the end of my life.
Most of you here say guns in the hands of people can defeat tyrants. Regardless of what you may hear from naysayers and firearms "hobbyists" who will tell you AR's and AK's in civilian hands are no match for tanks and machine guns (I remember one such hobbyist posting this here on Calguns), I come before you to tell you that what you believe to be true it is true: on December 22nd 1989 me and thousands of my compatriots we did just that.



We took up arms from the police forces who deserted their units, broke into the Patriotic Guards arms caches (some sort of communist reserve force), joined forces with a few Army units that refused to obey the order to fire upon the civilian population, kicked Ceausescu out of his palace and on Christmas Day 1989 shoot the bastard and his wife dead.

[hoffmang]

Originally Posted by .454

I come before you to tell you that what you believe to be true it is true: on December 22nd 1989 me and thousands of my compatriots we did just that.

We took up arms from the police forces who deserted their units, broke into the Patriotic Guards arms caches (some sort of communist reserve force), joined forces with a few Army units that refused to obey the order to fire upon the civilian population, kicked Ceausescu out of his palace and on Christmas Day 1989 shoot the bastard and his wife dead.

That puts a very interesting gloss on all the Romanian G's that have been remanufactured based on the work of Calguns. My 1986 Romy just needs some Alumahyde and wood staining.

Thanks for helping everyone remember how the real world works.

-Gene

[KylaGWolf]

While until recently I had never owned a gun I never had a problem with them either. Was more of a case of never finding anyone willing to teach me to shoot. We had a neighbor that was majorly unhinged and he had made threats so I made my boyfriend teach me to shoot so if I had to I could defend myself when he wasn't home. The other reason while I love my country I truly fear my government.

Oaklander your daughter is beautiful. I have to agree totally when one becomes a parent you will do anything within your power to protect them. The running joke in our house is her boyfriends better NOT mess up and they get the first impression of my boyfriend cleaning swords and knives and his dad cleaning and loading guns. LOL

[7x57]

Originally Posted by KylaGWolf

The running joke in our house is her boyfriends better NOT mess up and they get the first impression of my boyfriend cleaning swords and knives and his dad cleaning and loading guns. LOL

My wife rented some chick-flick vampire movie (her description) and called me in to see one scene. The daughter's date shows up while her dad is cleaning his guns, leading up to the point where he flicks a break-open SxS (I think) shotgun closed with that unmistakable ker-chink and says "send him in."

7x57