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Recent incidents of violence in Norway and London
have made us understandably uncomfortable here at home,
as many fear that a worsening economy will lead to violence and unrest in
American cities. This is why Congress must view the economy as its first
priority and a matter of national security. Unless and until we get our
fiscal house in order to foster economic growth, civil society will continue
to deteriorate.
The fundamental lesson every American should learn
from these incidents is that government cannot protect us. No matter how many
laws we pass, no matter how many police or federal agents we put on the
streets, a determined individual or group can still cause great harm. But
Norway and England have strict gun control laws, and London in particular has
security cameras monitoring nearly all public areas. But laws and spy cameras
are useless in the face of lawless mobs or sick mass killers.
Only private individuals on the scene could have
prevented or lessened these tragedies. We should remember that theft, arson
and property damage were not the only criminal acts in London. Innocent
bystanders were assaulted and killed as well. In those instances, deadly force
used in self-defense would have been fully justified.
Perhaps the only good that could come from these
terrible events is a reinforced understanding that we as individuals are
responsible for our safety and the safety of our families. This means frankly
that we must own and wisely use firearms to deter or prevent criminal
assaults on our homes and persons. It is absurd to think police or government
agents can protect 310 million Americans around the clock.
Thanks to our media and many government officials,
however, Americans have have become conditioned to
view the state as our protector and the solution to every problem. Whenever
something terrible happens, especially when it becomes a prominent news
story, people reflexively demand that government “do
something.” This impulse almost always leads to bad laws, more debt and
a loss of liberty. It is completely at odds with the best American traditions
of self-reliance and individual responsibility.
Do we really want to live in a world of police
checkpoints, surveillance cameras and metal detectors? Do we want to imprison
every disturbed or alienated individual who fantasizes about violence? Do we
really believe government can provide total security? Or can we accept that
liberty is more important than the illusion of state-provided security?
Freedom is not defined by safety; freedom is defined
by the ability of citizens to live without government interference –
unless they use force or fraud against others. Government cannot create a
world without risk, 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. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when
terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons.
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