The first ten of the bill of rights are called inalienable human rights for a reason. While it may have been phrased as the right to bear arms it is in essence the right to self protection. Guns are the main tool for force as of now and as a result we would need an equal measure of force to dispel attempts to infringe on our inalienable rights. Our second amendment protects all the others, that's why tyrants go for it first, but all the others also protect the second.
oh... MY GOD... i’m CRYING!
no, they’re not... THEY LITERALLY ARE NOT.
the sheer quantity of people who think this... the number of times i have had to explain this... it’s soul crushing.
for what istg MUST BE the FLOPPITY TRILLIONTH TIME: Just because “inalienable” is one of the biggest words you can spell and “human rights” is one of the fanciest, legaliest terms you know does NOT mean they apply in every situation that you want them to. Like, the term HAS an actual, real definition and everything that literally preexisted, and is completely independent and unreliant, on the Bill of Rights or the Constitution.
The place where the inalienable rights of man are actually first articulated in American Jurisprudence is the Declaration of Independence (i know this is a lot to keep track of, take your time):
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The means and institutions through which we practice our inalienable rights are man made and man maintained. The actual rights themselves (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in case you missed it) are NOT. They existed before us, and they will exist after us. They are are universal; indivisible; interdependent and interrelated; and they are applicable to every human being regardless of they live, their gender or race, or their religious, cultural or ethnic background.
Lucky for you if you want an itemized list, here are 30 actual, identified human rights explicitly listed in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (what a name amirite?!?) that are classified in the articles of the UDHR. Because I’m such a peach, I’ll even copy and paste the completely publicly available and VERY GOOGLEABLE list right here:
- Article 1 Right to Equality
- Article 2 Freedom from Discrimination
- Article 3 Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security
- Article 4 Freedom from Slavery
- Article 5 Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment
- Article 6 Right to Recognition as a Person before the Law
- Article 7 Right to Equality before the Law
- Article 8 Right to Remedy by Competent Tribunal
- Article 9 Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Exile
- Article 10 Right to Fair Public Hearing
- Article 11 Right to be Considered Innocent until Proven Guilty
- Article 12 Freedom from Interference with Privacy, Family, Home and Correspondence
- Article 13 Right to Free Movement in and out of the Country
- Article 14 Right to Asylum in other Countries from Persecution
- Article 15 Right to a Nationality and the Freedom to Change It
- Article 16 Right to Marriage and Family
- Article 17 Right to Own Property
- Article 18 Freedom of Belief and Religion
- Article 19 Freedom of Opinion and Information
- Article 20 Right of Peaceful Assembly and Association
- Article 21 Right to Participate in Government and in Free Elections
- Article 22 Right to Social Security
- Article 23 Right to Desirable Work and to Join Trade Unions
- Article 24 Right to Rest and Leisure
- Article 25 Right to Adequate Living Standard
- Article 26 Right to Education
- Article 27 Right to Participate in the Cultural Life of Community
- Article 28 Right to a Social Order that Articulates this Document
- Article 29 Community Duties Essential to Free and Full Development
- Article 30 Freedom from State or Personal Interference in the above Rights
S H O C K I N G L Y i don’t see the right to bear arms anywhere a single time on that list. Furthermore, what some people view as their “iNaLiEnAbLe hUmAn rIgHt tO oWn aN AK-47″ has now become a major threat and impediment to the practice of mankind’s ACTUAL INALIABLE HUMAN RIGHTS to liberty, safety, and most significantly, their right to life.
Instead of going around trying to “educate” other people with whatever deep political, humanitarian, philosophical insight you think you have, how about you go and educate yourself pal. I’ll even help you out with this great resource that I’m sure even you can figure out how to use... ENJOY!
