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The right to bear arms is there to protect free speech and stop a tyrannical government from taking your rights away. That’s the first thing that all tyrants do: disarm the people. – Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a First Amendment absolutist and a big fan of the Second Amendment. A lot of that has to do with his upbringing. He spent the first eighteen years of his life in South Africa, experiencing first-hand what tyrants do when not constrained by a First and Second Amendment.
Some worry access to firearms allows violent criminals to use them to rob and hurt others. Access to firearms also allows law-abiding citizens to stop violent criminals from hurting others. Trial by jury exists to adjudicate cases where there is ambiguity between who is law-abiding and who is criminal. Twelve peers sift through the evidence and judge the facts.
I believe self-defense and trial by jury to be the two cornerstones of a representative government. The right to select leaders is underpinned by the willingness to defend the choices made in a free and fair election - by force of arms, if necessary - even when elections go against you. Anyone unwilling to enforce that compact does not deserve the right to vote. Neither does anyone who is unwilling to use force of arms to protect this country from all enemies, foreign or domestic.
Similarly, a willingness to serve on juries underpins the rule of law. There is nothing more dangerous than leaving judgment in the hands of "experts." They soon make judgments that favor the expert class and no one else. A functioning representative government is a participative activity requiring active involvement by everyone or it fails.
Elon Musk understands this. He grew up in a society where unscrupulous leaders used their power, unconstrained by a working Bill of Rights, to enhance their wealth and punish their enemies. It is unsurprising that when seeing unscrupulous leaders attempt this in his adopted country, he enters the lists to oppose them — and uses the shield and sword of the First and Second Amendments to fight them.
Discussion (23)
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I've just come across the America PAC on Twitter, via a link Musk pointed. Here's its blurb:
PAC Founded by @ElonMusk to support candidates who champion Secure Borders, Sensible Spending, Safe Cities, Fair Justice System, Free Speech and Self-Protection
Hard to argue with that.
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I agree with your statement.
What I find even harder to explain is that we have a Congress loaded with those who not only disagree with all those points but lie about it by taking an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution.
Something in our setup is not working.
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I take it back. I think I know what it is.
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We're all familiar with the line that "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."
I recently heard someone say that "Wherever illegal drugs exist, weapons will also exist". And we know how well the government prevents illegal drug traffic.
It's good to know the world's richest man supports the 2nd Amendment!
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