by Ron Paul
The senseless and horrific killings last week in Newtown, Connecticut reminded us that a determined individual or group of individuals can cause great harm no matter what laws are in place. Connecticut already has restrictive gun laws relative to other states, including restrictions on fully automatic, so-called “assault” rifles and gun-free zones.
Predictably, the political left responded to the tragedy with emotional calls for increased gun control. This is understandable, but misguided. The impulse to have government “do something” to protect us in the wake national tragedies is reflexive and often well intentioned. Many Americans believe that if we simply pass the right laws, future horrors like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting can be prevented. But this impulse ignores the self evident truth that criminals don’t obey laws.
The political right, unfortunately, has fallen into the same trap in its calls for quick legislative solutions to gun violence. If only we put armed police or armed teachers in schools, we’re told, would-be school shooters will be dissuaded or stopped.
While I certainly agree that more guns equals less crime and that private gun ownership prevents many shootings, I don’t agree that conservatives and libertarians should view government legislation, especially at the federal level, as the solution to violence. Real change can happen only when we commit ourselves to rebuilding civil society in America, meaning a society based on family, religion, civic and social institutions, and peaceful cooperation through markets. We cannot reverse decades of moral and intellectual decline by snapping our fingers and passing laws.
Let’s not forget that our own government policies often undermine civil society, cheapen life, and encourage immorality. The president and other government officials denounce school violence, yet still advocate for endless undeclared wars abroad and easy abortion at home. U.S. drone strikes kill thousands, but nobody in America holds vigils or devotes much news coverage to those victims, many of which are children, albeit, of a different color.
Obviously I don’t want to conflate complex issues of foreign policy and war with the Sandy Hook shooting, but it is important to make the broader point that our federal government has zero moral authority to legislate against violence.
Furthermore, do we really want to live in a world of police checkpoints, surveillance cameras, metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and warrantless physical searches? We see this culture in our airports: witness the shabby spectacle of once proud, happy Americans shuffling through long lines while uniformed TSA agents bark orders. This is the world of government provided “security,” a world far too many Americans now seem to accept or even endorse. School shootings, no matter how horrific, do not justify creating an Orwellian surveillance state in America.
Do we really believe government can provide total security? Do we want to involuntarily commit every disaffected, disturbed, or alienated person who fantasizes about violence? Or can we accept that liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided security? Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. We shouldn’t settle for substituting one type of violence for another. Government role is to protect liberty, not to pursue unobtainable safety.
Our freedoms as Americans preceded gun control laws, the TSA, or the Department of Homeland Security. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference, not by safety. It is easy to clamor for government security when terrible things happen; but liberty is given true meaning when we support it without exception, and we will be safer for it.
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some would suggest that the government stages events across the world that are false threats to national security. They use these events to justify the wars which serve special interests and having a greater military presence abroad. They also use them to justify greater encroachment on civil liberties of the American people in order to secure absolute dominance, such as surveillance and spying et al. That is basically the message the liberty movement has been spreading for years.
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Ron i was just telling my family this the other day … They put the armed guards in the school and put plexy glass around them at the entry .. this way if some asshole tries to break in the guards have a total advantage. … Obama is looking at all of this all wrong he is a total moron.
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Romney and Obama are fucking retards .
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Romney and Obama disliked this video.
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Can anyone tell me why we have troops all around the world? It seems our liberties are being threatened within ‘America’ rather than being threatened from ‘terrorists’
Someone please enlighten me. (no sarcasm intended)
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Thank you DR PAUL – Merry Christmas – do you believe that all these shooting was done by children that were on ssri – anti depressants …
Violent Hollywood – and Video games dont help either !
But the ZIONIST make money on these !
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True that Mr. Paul
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especially SUICIDAL criminals do not obey laws
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libertarians are drug attic losers. Keep taking those drugs Mr drug attic loser and you will be as stoopis as ron “racist” paul
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Look its like this. I’m a libertarian, So i think all schools should be private, and they pay for their own armed guards. BUT since we do have public schools, I think armed guards being put into public schools by STATE governments (not the federal government) is necessary to prevent more tragedies.
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Ron already pointed out a blueprint! It’s up to the rest of US to bring it forth!
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God bless Ron Paul! And God have mercy on the USA.
Lets turn this around.
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Mittens now tells how he didn’t want to be President? And, we could have had Congressmsan Ron Paul in office? Something really stinks in America. We sit back and do nothing…
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Don’t forget Gun Free Zone Laws. That will “teach” those criminals!
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Sad we lost our geriatric-Braveheart
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They need to outlaw every sharp, hard, or explosive object and put us all in separate padded safe houses with continuous surveillance. Then at last we would be a free and secure society. They also need to outlaw cold blooded murder.
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Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave. Over the Home of the freeeeee! And the home of the security seekers.
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For all intended purposes it is an underground resistance…
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Thank you for spreading the truth Dr.Paul. Its so sad hes retired, who knows when another true patriot will be elected.
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Merry Christmas, Dr Paul, and may God bless you!
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Ron Paul got my vote and has my support !!!!
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we’ll see more uncensored shit talking from the good doctor now more than ever!!! LONG LOVE RON PAUL!
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Ron Paul is a one percenter communist nazi rino loser
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That man should be deported to Iran so he can hate America over there instead of over hear.
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Ron Paul and Satin are the same
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He is one of the few liars in congress. I have found that more and more Americans are fed up with Ron Paul’s crap and want real change in Washington!
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I like these videos not only cause hes always putting his mind and thoughts out there unscripted but also cause it sounds like some underground resistance type shit with the way it was recorded lol.
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The Fed is good.
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Ron Paul makes me sick with his not wanting to keep America safe.
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Merry Christmas, Ron Paul!
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God bless Ron Paul!
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I think he wouldn’t have a problem if the security was private.
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We still listen to Ron Paul. How come republicans aren’t rallying behind their savior Romney anymore? Typical political theater. Liberals will never understand Obama = bush/romney
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False! People shoot guns and bullets kill people! People are innocent!!!! lol
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family Dr. Paul.
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