Natural rights or what is called fundamental rights sometime seem like big terms that are difficult to understand. In essence a natural right is a right that comes as a part of being human. Without these natural rights you would potentially be a slave to anyone who was strong enough to take them away. An example of a natural right is, let’s say, the right to breathe. Obviously without the right to breathe you could not exist. Where did the right come from? Well it came with birth, and I prefer to say, from God, or our Creator, some would say, Universal Intelligence. Regardless of where you might think it comes from our Founding Fathers (FFs) would say these “natural rights” exist.
The FFs recognized that certain rights are extremely important to be able to preserve liberty. Therefore they “enumerated” certain of these rights as being key to maintaining liberty. Hence the “Bill of Rights” came about. The “enumerated rights” included the right to: free speech, free press, free exercise of religion, keep and bear arms, be secure in our persons, houses, effects from unreasonable searches and seizures, to name a few.
The 2nd Amendment secured the right to keep and bear arms (RKBA), in defense of oneself, one’s family, friends, property and country, is considered by many to be the “First Freedom.” Without this key natural right all other rights could be seized by a stronger party, usually in the form of government. I always appreciate Jack McLamb’s (most highly decorated police officer in Phoenix, Arizona) phrase in which he states, “When tyranny comes to your door, it will be dressed in a uniform.” The founders clearly stated that a standing army is to be feared.
Recognizing this, the FFs instituted the Bill of Rights. Some key rights are free speech, free press, and free exercise of personal conscience and it has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. However if the politeness of free: expression, press, conscience, and appeals to reason, do not have the desired effect in deterring tyranny, then one must, as in the case of the American Revolution, be prepared to use the sword.
It is inconceivable to me that the FFs would somehow say you must get permission of the government that was trying to disarm them by seizing, disarming and destroying the ability of the American’s to make their own gun powder, arms and munitions. I guarantee you the founders didn’t write the 2A to preserve a sporting purpose. These people were all about preserving their liberty against a tyrannical government.
Earlier I mentioned “enumerated rights.” There are many other natural or fundamental rights which are not listed referred to as “un-enumerated" or rights retained. Some examples of these rights would be the right to: travel, marry, procreate, work and earn income, accumulate property, breathe, etc.
Now these natural or fundamental rights should not be confused with the false, or government created rights, or what are referred to sometimes as civil or legislated rights. These so called rights are created and granted by government and you will recognize them as the right to an education, right to a home, right to a living wage, right to a job, right to “free” healthcare. Here is how you can tell the pseudorights (pseudo = false) from the natural, God given rights. If the government grants it, the government can take it away. If the government pays for it, it took the money from someone else to give to another. Not so with natural rights. You are born with the natural right to: seek an education; seek a job; business, or profession; seek healthcare, etc.
You have a right to live free, and to the results of a substantial portion of the proceeds of your endeavors. You have no right to any portion of the life or labor of another.
You cannot have a good conversation about natural or fundamental rights without mentioning responsibilities. Each of these natural rights generally has some responsibility attached to it. An example would be you cannot yell, FIRE! in a crowded theater just to watch people get trampled. You cannot exercise freedom of the press by telling falsehoods about someone. You cannot sacrifice your child to the Sun god in a religious ceremony, because you would be stealing the child’s natural right to life. You cannot exercise your RKBA by brandishing your weapon causing endangerment to those around you. Each and every natural right has a natural limit. All natural rights have natural limits which start when you interfere with someone else’s natural rights.
Normal people do not require a nanny state to explain those limits. The people who are responsible don’t need it explained and those who are criminal won’t care. Consequently we do not need permission from the government to keep and bear arms. Only the law abiding will obey the unconstitutional laws. The criminals are not going to ask permission from the government to keep and bear arms. Your comments can be directed to: carry@pike912.org.
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