"Whereas by supposing they have given up themselves to the absolute arbitrary power and will of a legislator, they have disarmed themselves, and armed him to make a prey of them when he pleases..." John Locke, A Essay Concerning the true original, extent, and end of Civil Government (1690), Book 2.
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Just how important is the Second Amendment? The quote from John Locke set out above, illustrates that the philosophical pillars of the Second Amendment predated its actual enactment by more than one hundred years. Locke argues that property is a natural right that is derived from one’s labor. We know from the reading of the Founders papers and debates that a “natural right” is one given by God and that cannot be taken away by any Man. You are, to put it simply “entitled to keep the fruits of your labor.” Similarly the ownership of property was acquired by the application of your labor. Since such property rights existed before the formation of any government he argued, government cannot "dispose of the estates of the subjects arbitrarily”. It is a crime to take the property of another without consent whether the taking is being done by a bad guy with a ski mask and a gun, or or by the government itself. Locke was so influential that his ideas defined the role of government as envisioned by the Founders. That role is to protect the property rights of its citizens. The pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, is meant to exemplify the "unalienable rights" with which all human beings are endowed and for the protection of which they institute governments. Those who insisted on the Second Amendment were skeptics who feared the day when government failed to carry out the very purpose of its existence.
I share my thoughts with you on this subject, because I do believe that the Second Amendment is under attack. We are one vote away in the Supreme Court from losing our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The ugly and vicious acts of criminals are being politically exploited to advance a gun confiscation agenda. Each of us has to decide whether we are going to become prey or not.
