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When the Left says our Founding Fathers never intended for us to have assault rifles, they are entirely missing the history which motivated the Second Amendment: It was called the American Revolution.
The American colonies were rebelling against the military powerhouse - the English Redcoats and their mercenaries who had won wars all around the world. Our adversaries were well-seasoned, professional soldiers, armed with the very latest in high-tech military hardware: muzzleloaders and cannons.
Today's socialists, through revisionist history, probably think the colonists simply didn't try hard enough to negotiate a conflict-free existence. Or, that they they should have conducted "peaceful protests" throughout the colonies.
Nope. In order to gain freedom from an enemy who wants your labor and your land badly enough to shed your blood to get it, you actually have to kill. Revolutionary soldiers had to put themselves in harm's way.
This meant shooting with the most lethal firearm available. The muzzleloader basically fired one shot at a time with a distance of 100 yards. Imagine how horrendous - being so close to your enemy, the World's Best Military.
Americans were firing old, beat-up British guns; the typical soldier was also a farmer, so his gun wasn't necessarily in a state of good repair. They needed newer and better firearms to have any chance of victory.
Ben Franklin found the solution in France, Britain's archnemesis. France provided America with stronger, even more modern firepower - the "Charleville" muskets. Compared to conventional muzzleloaders, these were lighter, with superior accuracy and included a 15-inch bayonet.
Shocker! Our Founding Fathers sought out the deadliest weapons available on the entire planet during the American Revolution.
America in 1776 would have used any available upgrade over the muzzleloader. A standard revolver? Check. Gatling gun? Check. AR-15? Checkmate. Why? To win the war - to win our freedom.
And the English would have done the same in order to keep us from fighting ourselves free from their rule.
The Second Amendment guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms. Liberals believe our Founding Fathers never intended for us to have assault rifles, the most powerful weapons available to American citizens today.
The Founders knew exactly what they were writing. These men had used the greatest firearms of their time period to win a war. In essence, they had their "AR-15" - obviously not as deadly as the one we have, but it was the deadliest gun known to man at the time they lived.
They understood we would need firepower to protect ourselves from tyranny - something the Founders were all too familiar with. They also recognized that foreign countries could be a future threat.
And the Lefties forget one of the major reasons the Revolution even occurred: In 1774, the British stopped selling firearms and gunpowder to the Colonies. They then confiscated guns and powder; in Boston, the English routinely conducted warrantless searches and seizures. When the Redcoats marched on Lexington and Concord for further disarmament, the rest became history - the American Revolution.
Re-read the last paragraph: When guns and ammunition are taken from law-abiding citizens, the people will not react kindly to the Liberals' goals - whether it is 1775 or 2021.
"To disarm the people...[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them."
The Left needs to be careful what they wish for.
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