Last week, we took a look at blogger Rick Ungar's Forbes column, "Note To Tea Party: Anyone Happen To Catch The ‘Gunless’ Revolution?" in which he argued that since the Egyptian protest movement managed to depose dictator Hosni Mubarak with "only" about 250 people being killed, the notion of an armed citizenry as the last bulwark against tyranny had become obsolete. With the kind of supercilious disdain that is evidently the birthright of sophisticates like Mr. Ungar, when dealing with the kind of rubes who labor under the delusion that dead tyrants can tyrannize no one, he ended on this note:
Put down the guns because it’s time to face reality – violent revolution is just so yesterday.
Also last week, we looked at a piece by the Brady Campaign's Andrew and Colin "The Alchemist" Goddard, similarly using Egypt to justify their contempt for the idea of a people resisting tyranny by force of arms:
In contrast to LaPierre’s misguided comments, the historic events in Egypt tell us that while gun ownership is a right in this country, guns have nothing to offer rational, law-abiding people in the way of a solution to political differences.
It is with some disappointment that I see that neither Mr. Ungar or the Goddards have seen fit to revisit the subject of "gunless" revolutions, in light of recent events in Libya. From National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea's War on Guns blog:
Here's some of that Josh Horwitz philosophy in action:
That was yesterday. There has been more news since, little of it good. The Los Angeles Times reports:
The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting as Libya descended into further chaos Tuesday amid reports that Moammar Kadafi's regime used warplanes, helicopter gunships and foreign mercenaries against mounting anti-government protests, witnesses and diplomats said.
What? You mean evil tyrants do still sometimes refuse to loosen their grip on power, no matter how many of their own people they have to kill in order to maintain that grip, and that sometimes, the military (if not the entire military--the Oath Keeper spirit is apparently not only to be found in the U.S.) is willing to back their play (and if not enough of the military is willing to do so, there's always the option of foreign mercenaries)?
This is not to say that the people of Libya will not pay a still more terrible cost in blood, if they do fight back with guns. No one has ever denied that violent revolution is an ugly, bloody business. Sometimes, though, the only two choices are resistance by force of arms, and acquiescence. Sometimes, that second option is even uglier and bloodier.
When fighting back is the only acceptable option, it would clearly be best for the people to be as well equipped as possible for resistance. So-called "assault weapons," are often referred to by the forcible citizen disarmament crowd as "weapons of war." Perfect. Large magazines, condemned by Senator Frank Lautenberg as being useful only "to kill a lot of people very quickly," can be darned comforting, when one might have "to kill a lot of" the tyrant's cat's paw--his soldiers and/or mercenaries--"very quickly." .50 caliber rifles, we are told, need to be banned, because of the threat they pose to aircraft . . . did someone just say something about the Libyan government using warplanes and helicopter gunships against protesters?
Finally, it would clearly be best that the tyrant's minions not know where the guns are, or who owns them.
So, to those who support bans of "assault weapons," large magazines, and .50 caliber rifles, or believe that gun ownership should be tightly regulated, with licensing and registration, it would seem to be fair to ask, "Who's side are you on?" Well, Mr. Ungar? Messrs. Goddard?
Update (02/28/2011): National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea has more in "Will Libya retain its progressive monopoly of violence?"
See also:
- The Second Amendment: America's original monopoly-buster
- Welcoming the Obama administration, waiting for the 'government monopoly on force,' Part I
- A deeper look at the 'government monopoly on force'
- What's next--a .499 caliber ban?
- Would George Washington want American citizens to acquiesce to oppression?
- So what if they are 'weapons of war'?
- Resisting tyranny: Neither a new idea, nor an invention of the 'gun lobby'
- Forcible citizen disarmament advocacy, and the smearing of the militias
- Oath-keeping before the Oath Keepers: Utah Guardsmen who refused to confiscate guns
- Does environmental terrorism incident prove that ALL armed resistance is wrong?
- Monopoly can be a deadly game
- The REAL reason CSGV hates the right to keep and bear arms--it works
- CSGV says only the government can protect you from . . . the government
- Egypt, the 2nd Amendment, and the Oath Keepers
- Brady Campaign staffers call gun rights advocacy 'oppression'
- Monopoly
Comments
OOOH-RAH!!!
One of your best!! Spot On!
And I wonder if that pathetic newslady being raped for three hours by the non-violent Buddhi- uh, I mean, muslims - while the other peaceful muslims watched, would have fared better if she and her crew had been armed? Of course, the llibs and womyn's groups have said that she brought it on herself by not dressing like a submissive woman!! Way to stand up for your savaged sister!
And this just in - the elderly Christian couple who had been giving Bibles away in Somalia, were found this day, killed by their godless muslim kidnappers. The muzzies were armed, the elderly couple not.
Isn't that strange!!!
You've asked the key question, Kurt. The answer is quite self evident. In the words of L Neil Smith, anyone who still believes "gun control" works given what we know now, has to be "stupid, insane, or evil".
KURT:
Ur a Good Writer, dude!! Great! Great Article, Great insight... ALWAYS enjoy catchin up to ur Articles!! Like our own Forefathers, u write with Truth & TRUE IMPACT - thats for sure.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!! : )
Mr. Ungar seems to be jumping the gun by quite a large margin. The Egyptian people are NOT in control. The military is. They have not had ANY elections and they won't for what, 6 months? Will those elections be a real mandate by the people or will they simply be typical 3rd world democracies where a strong man is propped up via counterfeit elections. That all remains to be seen.
Further, the majority of people in Egypt do not want "democracy" as we think of it. Sure, they want to elect their leaders....but they don't want civil rights for those accused of crimes, nor do they want equal rights for women, gays and non-muslims.
Has it been a "peaceful" revolution so far?.....not to the 400+ people who've been killed. What exactly is Mr. Ungar's definition of "peaceful"?....I doubt it coincides with a dictionary's with 400 dead. Is it a bloody civil war? No. But a "revolution" on American soil wouldn't have to be all that bloody either....if the right 400 people were targeted.
Kurt,
I may sound ghoulish, but I for one am GLAD the events in Libya are unfolding the way they are. It puts the lie to the United Nations mantra that only governments are to be trusted with guns, and not their subjects. Thanks to the Internet, the world is seeing first-hand what governments do to their unarmed subjects, who demand a redress of grievances. The Internet wasn't around in the days of Pol Pot and Cambodia's killing fields, since his regime was isolated and also tightly controlled communications in Cambodia.
More importantly, the next time anyone says to us, "you don't need a AK-47", we can point to Libya and say we want to be prepared. Qaddafi's subjects clearly weren't. Someday, we Americans may find ourselves in that situation, as Libyans find themselves in now.
I think also, the CIFTA Treaty will not be ratified by the Senate, not after this. Good!
Also Ungar's article totally ignores the decision-making role of the Egyptian military in the end of the Mubarak regime. The people ended up with the Egyptian Army's tank battalions in the streets of Cairo on their side and that's even handier at telling the local dictator to STFU and GTFO RFN.
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