The Gun Owner�s Manifesto
by Michael J. Erwin
Federal Agents Thwart Terrorist
July 19 � Redding, CA � Suspected domestic terrorist Dave Norton was shot and killed yesterday by BATF agents at his suburban Redding home. BATF agents recovered an arsenal of weapons including assault rifles, high-powered sniper rifles, various types of semi-automatic handguns, and a huge cache of ammunition. Agents arrested Mr. Norton�s wife, Tammy Norton, on federal gun charges and placed their two children with Shasta County Child Protective Services.
Thirty-two federal agents, in conjunction with local law enforcement, executed a search warrant at the Sequoia Avenue home at 3:00 AM on Tuesday morning. According to Supervising Agent Angela Martinez, Mr. Norton failed to comply with commands given by the agents as they entered his bedroom in the early morning hours. According to Martinez, �After several warnings, we had to resort to deadly force in order to protect our officers, and the children sleeping in the adjacent bedroom.�
A Life Flight helicopter transported Mr. Norton to Redding Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Norton suffered from multiple gun shot wounds to the head and chest.
The search warrant was issued as part of a major effort on the part of BATF to crack down on suspected terrorists who have refused to turn in weapons after the Federal Government banned private gun ownership as of January of this year. The Crime Prevention and Safety bill, that was passed last year by the Democrat majority in congress and signed into law by President Al Gore, went into effect on January 1st. Citizens were given 30 days to comply with the ban and turn in weapons to their local law enforcement agency.
Agent Martinez stated that, �None of the weapons seized were registered as required by the Gun Safety and Registration Act that was passed two years ago. We were able to locate this cache of weapons because of the diligent work of our office. Mr. Norton was identified as a possible danger because guns that were identified in sales records of area gun stores that were seized last year did not show up in our database of confiscated weapons. I just thank God that we were able to prevent a tragedy that could have resulted in the deaths of innocent citizens. There is no possible reason for anyone possessing these types of weapons unless they intend to commit a violent crime.�
Mrs. Norton is being held without bail in Shasta County Jail, pending charges on possession of firearms, possessing unregistered firearms, child endangerment, and endangering federal officers. If convicted of these charges she could face from 25 years to life in prison.
Time to Take a Stand
While the above article is completely fictitious, it�s plausibility seems to increase with every passing day. One need only look to the recent INS raid on Lazaro Gonzales� Miami home to see the level of force that the current government is willing to use in order to impose it�s will on it�s citizens. If the photo of the INS agent taking Elian Gonzales disturbed you, just imagine how you will feel when the BATF is pointing their MP-5s at your wife and children.
Liberal politicians shriek about passing new gun laws and licensing gun owner�s �to protect the children�, major media has become nothing more than the public relations arm of the anti-gun lobby, and Hollywood has made gun control their caus celebr�e as they continually drivel on about the dangers of guns and the need for more restrictions.
Though these elitists rarely admit it, their obvious goal is the complete elimination of private ownership of firearms. An armed society cannot be easily controlled and total control is necessary in order to impose their vision of utopia. They have adopted a highly effective incremental approach that is slowly and steadily moving this country toward an unarmed citizenry.
Gun laws have been adopted in several states that have turned law abiding gun owners into criminals at the whim of a few gun-grabbing politicians. In California, owners of SKS Sporter Rifles became subject to fines and criminal prosecution with the stroke of the clock on January 1st, 2000 because the State Attorney General deemed this rifle to be an �Assault Weapon.� The SKS Sporter is an inexpensive Chinese or Russian made semi-automatic rifle that fires the relatively weak 7.62x39 cartridge. These guns that were legally purchased up to just a few years ago are now subject to government confiscation.
Let�s get a few things straight.
-
The US Constitution is not subject to interpretation. The purpose of the courts is to limit the power of the executive and legislative branches to pass and enforce laws that violate the provisions of the Constitution. The text of the second amendment is clear � the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
-
Gun ownership is an individual right, acknowledged by the second amendment of the US Constitution. The Constitution forbids the government from infringing on the right to keep and bear arms.
-
The US Constitution does not grant rights to the citizens of this country, it recognizes inalienable rights that are endowed by our Creator. The purpose of the US Constitution was to limit the scope and power of the federal government, not to limit the rights of individual citizens.
-
The purpose of the second amendment is to provide citizens with the means to protect themselves from government tyranny. It has nothing to do with hunting, target shooting, or other �sporting purposes.�
-
The right to keep and bear arms is the right to self-defense, which is the most basic of human rights.
The federal government has already passed thousands of laws that are in direct violation of the US Constitution. This is the very definition of tyranny.
INALIENABLE RIGHTS CANNOT BE REGULATED! Laws that require waiting periods, limit the number of guns that can be purchased, limit the quantity of ammunition one can possess, outlaw certain types of firearms, and restrict the way that personal firearms can be carried are clearly unconstitutional. But we, as law abiding gun owners, have complied.
It is past time to take a stand. We must draw a
line, which we are not willing to allow the government to cross. If we continue our compliance, we will surely be complicit in our own demise. We owe it to those many men and women who gave their very lives in defense of our liberty. We owe it to our children whom it is our duty to protect and who deserve the same freedoms that have been bestowed upon us. And we owe it to ourselves as responsible citizens of this great nation.
As law-abiding citizens and responsible gun owners we resolve to take the following stand against unconstitutional gun laws:
Waiting Periods and Transfers
While we have no control over the regulations that are forced upon dealers and those citizens that hold a Federal Firearms License, we will no longer abide by the bureaucratic regulations that govern the transfer of ownership of firearms between private citizens. Since these are private transactions involving products that we have the constitutional right to own, there is absolutely no legitimate reason to require intervention by the government or other third parties.
Gun Buy Backs
We will not participate in any government sponsored gun buy back program. Whether voluntary or mandatory, these programs are nothing more than photo opportunities for leftist politicians to advance their socialist causes. For every gun that is turned in, consider that there is a victim of rape, robbery, or murder that could have used that gun in self-defense.
Retroactive Prohibition of Specific Weapons
We have no control over actions by the government that bans certain types of weapons for manufacture or import. These laws are applicable only to manufacturers and importers and are enforced by the BATF. However, we will not turn in any weapons that are banned by government agencies retroactively.
Registration
Under no circumstances will we register the ownership of our firearms with any government agency. The only purpose for registration is to allow the government to locate firearms for confiscation.
Licensing
The US Constitution is the only document required to allow the private ownership of firearms. We will not participate in any programs that require licensure for owning a gun.
Confiscation
We resolve to resist, with all means necessary, government confiscation of privately owned firearms.
As individuals we have very limited power over our so-called leaders. However, as a collective group, gun owners have both the power and responsibility to put an end to the increasing government intrusiveness that pervades nearly every aspect of our lives.
This United States was built upon the foundations of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and the knowledge that God created every man in His image. For over two centuries, guns have been one of the primary tools in guaranteeing our rights as citizens of this great country. If we continue to allow the leftist, elitist, politicians to promulgate their tyranny, they will most certainly destroy the very foundations that made this country great.
It is up to us to stop them. Our first line of defense is non-compliance on a massive scale. There are between 65 and 85 million gun owners in this country. They cannot and will not arrest and prosecute all of us. Some of us will be used as examples � some will be imprisoned, some may even be killed � but they cannot subdue us unless we allow them to. We must remain united in our resolve to protect and defend our families, our country, and our rights. We can no longer rely on those in authority to defend them for us.
At some point, possibly in the very near future, we may have to transition from passive non-compliance to active resistance. I hope and I pray that this will never be necessary. In the event that we must resort to active resistance it is important that we identify who our enemies are. It is not the police, although these men and women may be duped into doing the dirty work for their handlers, many law enforcement officers will join us. Our true enemies are the politicians, elitists, bureaucrats, and academicians who subvert the Constitution in order to enhance and promote their own power.
"We the people are the rightful masters of Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution."
~~ Abraham Lincoln
