A moral dilemma

We have been bombarded with propaganda from the left and the right in regards to gun legislation. From what I see, it appears that the left is likely closer to reality on this issue. Does that mean we should embrace stricter gun laws? There are actually two issues that need to be cleared up.

The obvious issue here is the Constitution. There has been a wide variety of interpretations regarding the second amendment. A lot of the interpretation focuses more on what people want the Constitution to mean rather than trying to understand what it actually means. When you look at the combination of the wording and the concerns of the time, I think it's safe to say that gun rights were intended to allow citizens to violently revolt against the government if needed.

Who represents the government if citizens revolt against them? That would be the military. If the second amendment is honored, we have no right to prohibit citizens from obtaining military-grade weaponry.

Things have changed. It has become clear that armed citizens would be no match against our military. This sort of change should not be viewed as invalidating federal law, but rather an argument to change federal law. If we really want to impose restrictions on gun ownership, we need to amend the Constitution. If we pulled this off, I would like to see the inclusion of a guaranteed right to peaceful secede. This would help compensate for the reduced protection against the government.

The other issue I have with gun control is ethical. If you could impose some of the restrictions that liberals want, law-abiding gun owners will be punished. This raises an interesting question. Would a few lives potentially saved be worth punishing a significant number of law-abiding citizens?

Interestingly enough, a similar argument can be used in the debate over the legalization of drugs. Although people who become addicted to drugs can pose a threat to the rights of others, there are numerous people who never pose threats to others. Can we justify punishing semi-responsible (drug abuse is never a good idea) drug users due to the actions of the more problematic drug users?

I am not trying to provide you with answers here. You certainly have a right to form your own opinions. There are also factors beyond what I have mentioned. For example, I will outright oppose any efforts to legalize further forms of drug abuse until after we finally legalize true education because I can't stand the thought of further proving that Americans value drugs over education.