9 Specific Ways to Defend the Second Amendment

By Timothy Gamble 

With a pro-second amendment President appointing pro-second amendment judges at the federal level, the gun grabbers have refocused their efforts on the state level. Democrats in Virginia, Illinois, California, and Washington state, among others, are pushing major gun control legislation this year. Far from giving up, the gun grabbers have become extremely motivated out of a sense of desperation. We need to be equally motivated to protect our second amendment rights.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

1) Know Your Rights - All people have a natural (God-given) right right to self-defense. This unalienable (God-given) right is recognized and guaranteed by the second amendment to U.S. Constitution. Guns are a very useful, even necessary, tool of self-defense. They are also great for hunting, providing food, recreation through shooting sports, and collecting. But their primary function, as enshrined in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers, is for self-defense, against both bad people and bad governments. We have a God-given right to self-defense, and the tools needed to defend ourselves.

"If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed." --Exodus 22:2

Jesus advised his disciples to arm themselves in view of likely persecution. -- See the article on self-defense, by Fr. John Whiteford, which includes a discussion of Luke 22:35-38, along with other passages

“If someone comes to kill you, arise quickly and kill him.” --Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin

“Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow.” --Catechism of the Catholic Church (2264)

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --Thomas Jefferson

"What is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." --George Mason (the Father of the Bill of Rights)

Action Steps:

A) Read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
B) Get a "pocket copy" of both (various organizations often give away such copies).
C) Read the article "The Six Things Americans Should Know About the Second Amendment" by Richard W. Stevens.
D) Check out the Biblical Self-Defense website.
E) Read my article Freedom of Religion or Freedom of Worship, to understand that important difference and how progressives try to water-down our rights.
F) Check out the book Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense by by Massad Ayoob.
G) Learn the laws of your state and locality regarding firearms, self-defense, and concealed-carry & open-carry. Your local gun store should be able to help with this step.

2) Work to Change Unconstitutional Laws and Excessive Regulations

Many states and localities have already passed legislation that violates the second amendment and/or otherwise restricts the inalienable right to self-defense. We must work diligently to change these laws and to prevent new restrictions. This will take some time, effort, and awareness. The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance. 

Action Steps:

A) Know the positions of political candidates regarding guns and self-defense. Do not vote for candidates that do not fully support the second amendment or that favor restrictions on guns and self-defense. This is especially important in state and local elections!
B) Vote for and otherwise support candidates at that respect the second amendment and promise to resist gun bans and excessive regulations.
C) It is as important to hold local and state level officials accountable, as it is to hold federal level politicians accountable. 
D) Make your voice heard. Pressure your politicians at all levels to be pro-second amendment, and to resist gun control efforts. Most moderate (non-ideological) politicians end up voting in the direction they feel the greatest pressure. We have to make sure we out-pressure the progressives (they are good at this, and have the support of the main stream media). We have to be better. Write, call, email, and visit your elected officials often. Attend town halls. Write newspaper editorials. Be outspoken. Here's how to contact federal, state, and local governemnt officials: click this link. 
E) Many gun rights organizations (see below) provide legislative alerts and suggested actions to take. Join their email lists and/or follow them on social media to stay informed of these opportunities.

3) What about civil disobedience?

Civil disobedience of unjust and/or unconstitutional laws is legitimate and may be necessary at some point. However, the penalties for breaking gun laws are often quite severe, so please think long and hard before breaking them. The negative consequences may not only affect you, but also your family. I do NOT recommend civil disobedience at this point. If you do get into trouble, either through civil disobedience or just accidentally, seek legal help from a law firm friendly to the second amendment. For help:

Gun Rights Attorneys
Website: https://gunrightsattorneys.com/
   Listings by State: https://gunrightsattorneys.com/attorneys/

NRA Attorney Referrals
**The NRA keeps a list of attorneys who have identified themselves as willing to consider firearm related cases. This list is available free of charge to NRA members only. For assistance in obtaining a referral from the NRA, please call (703) 267-1161. To join the NRA, visit their website. 

4)  Join Forces with Others Defending the Second Amendment

A) National Rifle Association (Twitter,  Website,  YouTube)
B) Gun Owners Association (Twitter,  Website, YouTube)
C) National Association for Gun Rights (Twitter,  Website,  YouTube)
D) The Second Amendment Foundation (Twitter, Website, Facebook)
E) Law Enforcement Alliance of America (Website)
F) Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (This group appears to have folded or merged a larger organization. If anyone has more information, please leave it in the comments section.) 

5) If you are in Law Enforcement or the Military, please consider joining Oath Keepers.  Even if you're not, you can support them by joining as an associate member. You can also sign up for their free email list.

Website: https://www.oathkeepers.org/  

6) Know the Facts

Several politicians and activists have been caught reciting facts and statistics that were highly distorted and, in several cases, completely made-up. Opponents of the second amendment have no qualms about lying to get their way. It is crucial that we know the real facts and statistics so that we cannot be mislead, and so that we can correct the record and prevent others from being mislead. Here are two resources to help you learn the facts:

A) Gun Facts Website
B) Gun Facts 6.2 (link will download a .pdf of a 119 page book)

7) Promote Gun Ownership
 
Own guns and enjoy them. Encourage others to own guns, and to pursue hunting and shooting hobbies. The more people who own and enjoy guns, the harder it will be for progressives to take our guns away. Invite a gun-wary friend, neighbor, or co-worker to go hunting or shooting with you. Get to them before the progressives do.


8) Schools and Zero-Tolerance

Schools have enacted zero-tolerance policies that go way beyond banning the actual weapons from schools. School kids have, and are, getting suspended, expelled, and sometimes arrested for such absurdities as merely using the word "gun" in a paper, drawing a picture of a gun on paper, having a green plastic army man with a gun, biting a pop-tart into the shape of a gun, having a toy "bubble gun" that looks nothing like a real gun, and even holding their fore-finger and thumb into a gun shape while playing on the playground (no more playing cowboys and indians, or even cops and robbers).

School officials understand the difference between a half-eaten pop tart that is sort of in the shape of a gun and a real gun. They intentionally overreact to such an incredible extent not to discourage guns on campus, but to instill a deep-seated fear of guns into students. Progressives know that if the current generation of students are afraid of guns, it will be easier to ban guns once they grow up.  

Fight these absurd zero-tolerance rules in your kids' schools. Stand up to administrators who think your kid should be arrested for biting a potato-chip in such a way that it vaguely resembles a gun. Most importantly, make sure you are voting for school board members who respect the second amendment, as well as the rest of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Teach your kids to respect guns, not to fear them. Teach them how to use guns safely. Take team shooting and hunting. Check out the NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program for kids.

9) Men, Take Your Women Shooting

There is an easy and fun way to protect the future of the second amendment over the long-term: Men, take your wives and girlfriends shooting. The more women who get into hunting and other shooting sports, the more secure the second amendment will be in the future.

Think about it. Wherever Mothers go, there go their children. The more that children are exposed to responsible gun ownership, and the safe & fun use of guns, the less fearful they will be of guns, despite the anti-gun indoctrination in our schools.

The long-term future of the second amendment is being determined in the fight for the hearts and minds of children. The anti-gun activists know that the more fearful they can make children of guns while they are young, the more fearful they will be when they grow up. Fearful adults - who will be voters, politicians, judges, bureaucrats, school administrators, teachers, and in other positions of influence - will be easier to convince to do away with the second amendment and accept complete gun confiscation (the ultimate goal of gun control).

The best and easiest way to stop the intentional spread of the fear of guns into children is to get their mothers into guns. Take your wife or girlfriend to the shooting range. Take them hunting. Get them into guns. And the message will seep down to their children.

Suggestions:

I'm not a woman, but I do have some common sense suggestions for how to get your wife or girlfriend into shooting: Be patient. Make it fun. Don't be a jerk, talk down to her, or make it into some macho thing. Don't take over and try to make decisions for her. Let other people help - you're probably the wrong person to teach her how to shoot, no matter how good you are. Take a class together. Don't take her shooting or hunting, instead go shooting or hunting together (an important difference). Let her progress at her own pace.

I would love to get suggestions from women on how to get women into shooting sports. Please leave suggestions in the comments section below. 

Some Female-Specific Resources

Shoot Like a Girl (website promoting women in shooting sports)

A Girl and a Gun (website promoting women in shooting sports)

Women and Guns (website)

Concealed Carry for Women (book)

Personal Defense for Women (book)

Guns for Women: Patriot Nurse's Favorite Rifles!  (You Tube video)

Get Your Girl Into Guns! - Women and shooting (You Tube video) 

NRA's Women's Programs (website)
---------------------
  
Please subscribe to Dystopian Survival using the Follow By Email field at the bottom of the right hand column.

On Social Media:

Twitter: @DystopianSurv - My account specifically for this website. 99% prepping, survivalist, and homesteading tweets. Few, if any, posts on politics.

Twitter: @TimGamble - My main account. Survivalist information, plus heavy on news, politics and economics.

GAB: @TimGamble - Mainly a back-up account for when Twitter bans me for being not being a leftist.