Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Civil Disobedience with Regards to Gun Control

I. Introduction
When it comes to Civil Disobedience, many people especially Christians feel uncomfortable. The have been brainwashed to accept government regulations and restrictions as almost as an eleventh commandment. Today, I will be attempting to show you, not only from the US constitution but also from the Scripture itself, that such unbending loyalty is not required or advised.

II. The Status Quo
A. The National Situation
It truly seems that year by year the hostility to guns and gun ownership increases. In the past century gun restrictions have gone from nil or near nil to waiting periods background checks, disarmament, and automatic weapons bans.
B. State Situations
While most states are still open quite open to handgun ownership, at least one, California, requires gun registration. In effect giving them the power to at any moment confiscate citizens weapons. Most other states have only banned the unlicensed carrying of handguns. In effect destroying any chance of handgun protection while traveling.

III. Constitutional Arguments nullifying Gun Control
A. The 2nd amendment
One of the first things American must realize about gun control on the federal level is it’s blatant unconstitutionality. The Bill of Rights specifically enumerates several fundamental rights the Feds are not to infringe upon. The second of these enumerated rights is this. “ 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.
Many have wondered about the phrase a well Regulated Militia... Does it mean that only the Military have said rights? Not at all, a militia is in essence a citizenry who at a moments notice can pick up their weapons and defend their country. Those who started the American war for Independence were in effect militia, and their reason for attacking the British? The British were coming to take their ammunition. Now don’t get me wrong, I in no way support anarchy. That is why the phrase a well “Regulated” militia, is so crucial.
B. The Tenth amendment
It is incredibly interesting that most people also think that for a right to exist it must be explicitly enumerated in the Bill of Rights. This is not at all true, in actuality governmental power does not exist unless explicitly given. The Tenth amendment restates this very clearly in these words, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This means that even is the 2nd amendment did not exist, gun control is still unacceptably unconstitutional.
C. State Constitutions
The constitutional argument against state gun control is, that of the fifty states only five do not explicitly enumerate said right, and all of them, like the feds can only do what has been explicitly given to them to do.
IV. The Biblical Argument
A. The Regulative principle.
For those of you who have not heard of the Regulative Principle before, in effect it is the exactly the same as the tenth amendment only directly from scripture. On of the places it is stated is Deut. 12:32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
What this means is that neither States nor feds can Biblically command anything which has not been commanded by God. They are helpless to rule ever action of our lives because they have not been given that power.
To put this in perspective for why we do not have to obey Gun control, I ask you, do you have to obey an impostor or a usurper? Not at all because they have no authority.

V. Refutation of opposing arguments.
A. Rom. 13
Many like to use Romans thirteen to prove that Civil disobedience is sinful. Let me quote the passage they refer to. “1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.”
The phrase that is often missed is the one which says “And there is no authority except from God.” If God has not given them authority to restrict gun ownership, they have no authority to do so. An analogy of this is if your parent gives you permission to go to a party, but then your neighbor comes and says you mayn’t. To maintain that your neighbor has that authority is absurdity.

VI. Conclusion
In conclusion, I have explained the situation, and showed the constitutional arguments against it, not to mention the Biblical arguments. God’s Word is clearly and ruthlessly opposed to gun control, because God has given them no authority. And because they are without authority to do as they have done, we in all clearness of conscience, can disobey them in this area.

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