The NRA and its lackeys are fond of telling us the only thing that can stop a ‘bad guy with a gun’ is a ‘good guy with a gun.’ I have no problem with responsible gun ownership. But I reject the assumption that ‘…with a gun’ is the natural order of things.

The above canard also fails to address the insanity of allowing public access to assault weapons. Why should ‘…with a gun’ include ‘…with access to AR-style rifles capable of firing more than 20 rounds in 9 seconds or less and modifiable to carry up to 100 rounds’?

As a nation the United States arms itself with a standing army (a third and more of the national budget goes to defense), and in no scenario does a militia fantasy protect the citizenry from tyranny or abuse of this massive military power. Not even a militia armed with the AR family.

Rather, what keeps our military in check is broad respect for the rule of law. Because while we may be a grossly over-militarized country, we are fortunately also a nation that respects the rule of law.

One area where this respect for law seems to fall short, however, is with regard to guns. Our congressmen and other leadership have abrogated their responsibility to create sensible laws limiting the public threat created by widely available military-grade weapons. By some estimates up to 8 million of the AR-15 are in circulation around America today. 

So much for ‘Armed and dangerous.’ Today, Armed Is Dangerous.

For more on the myth of the ‘good guy with a gun’ have a look at this piece from Politico.