In the wake of horrific shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas we mourn, we pray, and we promise to make our nation a better place to live. We hope that THIS time is the last time. We strive to create a nation that is safer for our children and grandchildren. But what we do not do is surrender our personal liberty – our sacred freedom – on the alter of temporary safety.
For the very first time we are witnessing the Grand Ol Party, once a safety net for everyday gun owners, comprise on their promises to defend the Second Amendment. And why? Because “safety” is what is popular. Because donors are afraid to be doxxed and associated with politicians who support gun rights. And because gun control is where the MSM has told you the answer lies (emphasis on the word “lies”).
As one GOP politician after another signs on to the virtue-signaling “Red Flag” legislation, we must remember that these politicians, though once they had earned our trust, are in fact politicians. And politicians lie. If President Trump (historically a Democrat and a Clinton donor) supports Red Flag legislation, he will have lied by compromising his promise to defend the 2A.
Any politician will tell you they must remain in power to affect any “good” change at all. So why does it matter if they “compromise” a little here and there in order to remain in office? After all, aren’t we supposed to vote for the republican candidate in any given election anyway, regardless of their record, over voting for a democrat?
Here is why Red Flag laws matter: let’s say a ex-military member that is no longer enlisted but has undergone years of weapons training is now diagnosed with anxiety. Being a responsible human, he has sought treatment for his anxiety and now receives a prescription. Although this person is far more trained with weapons than most people, he may now be “flagged” as a potential criminal and a Judge may sign a confiscation order for the removal of the man’s personal weapons from his home. For the sake of “temporary” safety, we have violated a hero’s constitutional rights, likely worsened his anxiety, and have made society a less-safe place as a whole. We have one less good-guy-with-a-gun.
Where does the gun control momentum stop? Disarming heroes with treatable and reversible anxiety? Confiscation of all semiautomatic weapons? Of all weapons period? Why not? If one confiscation makes us safer, why not more?
Forgive me if I do not trust the government to run any given program well (shout out to the DMV, DOT, the VA, etc). But we must take a step back and remember the Constitution is a contract between the people and their elected officials and guarantees (not grants) the individual’s personal liberty. As such, the 2A is in place to defend citizens AGAINST a future corrupt government. And by slowly shaving away a little freedom here, and a little liberty there, we gradually give to the government more and more power that was never intended to belong to any government.
If the GOP continues forward with Red Flag legislation, I guarantee gun confiscation will not stop with only the most extreme cases. Eventually you and I, lovers of liberty, will be deemed as having an ideology that is dangerous and radical. And it will be you and I who have elected congressional leaders who voted to put those laws in place. Never forget that true conservatism places power with the people and not the government.
Dillon White is a guest author for The Liberty Loft.

