GUERRILLA TACTICS IN THE CULTURE WAR, #1: Promoting Self-Defense as a Virtue
What should we do? We are in an ongoing culture war. Responsibility is out. Victimhood is in. Earning your own way is out of fashion. Demanding the government pay you is now the new normal. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious expression such as marriage, and the right of self-defense are the cultural canaries in our political ecology. Those rights are attacked first.
I’m profoundly disappointed in our political leaders. You are too if you’ve been paying attention. So- called conservative politicians have put up the weakest defense of our rights. In fact, we see political examples of cultural cleansing where liberal politicians want to eliminate a conservative culture. Liberal politicians want to stamp out conservatives to secure their political majority. We are past foolish to depend on politicians to defend our freedoms. What should we do?
Other people are more qualified to speak about free speech and religious freedom. I can address the right of self-defense.
Liberal politicians rationalize their cultural attack on self-defense as being for public safety. It isn’t. The anti-rights legislation put forward in liberal states like California and New York has nothing to do with constraining crime or violence. Their “gun laws” are simply attacks on our culture of self-defense.
What should we do? People who love liberty should advocate for a better culture rather than be on the defensive. Promote a culture of freedom on the street AND in the courtroom. Think of this simple question; “What would brave men and women do today if they held self-defense as a virtue?” I’m thinking of small changes that move our entire society. (If you follow the news, then think of what the anti-gun politicians do.. and propose the opposite.) I’ll give you examples during the next four posts. I’m sure you have ideas of your own.
What would we do if we really valued self-sufficiency and self-defense?
— If we valued human life and thought that self-defense was a virtue, then churches would offer self-defense training in the evenings. Marriage and family preparation classes would include teaching couples to defend each other and defend their family. That is a new perspective on being pro-life.
— If self-defense was a virtue, then civic groups would offer firearms training to legal foreign immigrants who wanted to assimilate into American culture.
— If self-defense was a virtue, then companies would establish charitable donation programs and provide matching donations to train low income shooters.
— What would we do if armed self-defense was more than a right, but actually a virtue? We’d separate virtue from vice. Restaurants would establish gun-free sections so gun owners wouldn’t have to sit with unarmed patrons. Movie theaters would segregate their showings into armed and unarmed screening rooms.
— Every gun shop and firing range would have voter registration paperwork at their checkout counter.
That gives you a taste of the culture war in the private sphere. What should local politicians do tomorrow if they really valued self-sufficiency and self-defense?
— Pro-rights politicians who lived in anti-rights states could use “local preemption” laws to promote self-defense. To start, they would pass local laws that apply state and federal firearms laws to everyone. Even visiting politicians and visiting law enforcement would have to obey the same laws that govern local citizens. Fair is fair.
— Cities and counties would establish rules of strict scrutiny for enumerated rights like free speech, religious activities, and self-defense.
— Any commercial area would be considered appropriate zoning for a shooting range or gun store.
— Cities would pay an inducement so ranges and gun stores are built within 1000 feet of a school, day care facility, hospital or residential area.
That is a small start on one front of the culture war. I’ll be back with more examples in the next three posts. Let me leave you with this question in the mean time.
What would you do if self-defense was a virtue?
Image; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shooting_range_Glock.jpg