Gun Ownership
Libertarians support the 2nd amendment.
Libertarians support people's right to choose how best to defend themselves. We reject any and all claims that the government knows better, is better able to decide, or has a moral or legal claim to be able to limit the manner in which law abiding American citizens defend themselves. The Libertarian Party acknowledges that the 2nd Amendment forbids the Federal Government from infringing on the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. This is not just a theoretical idea, it’s a practical necessity. Guns are an equalizer. Without them, the many can oppress the few, the strong can oppress the weak, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. Guns change that dynamic, and are critical to securing freedom.
There is either no correlation between gun ownership and gun violence, or a negative correlation. Switzerland is well armed, and low crime, while Japan is unarmed and low crime (although it is an extremely rigid and repressive society). Russia and South Africa both have extremely rigid gun ownership laws, and high crime. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia have extremely strict gun laws. But they each have much higher rates of crime than the US. So it may be true that Australia has strict gun laws and few gun crimes, but this is obviously not a causal relationship. Before guns were invented, death by murder was more common by orders of magnitude. Which is particularly striking when you consider that more than half of all people died of infectious disease before anyone ever had the chance to kill them.
The only way to enforce a ban on firearms is through the use of firearms. Because guns are an equalizer, this would require the disarmers to have more firepower than the disarmed. How then can we disarm the disarmers, or have any hope of preventing abuses?
As is the case with any prohibition, banning guns will make them more expensive and give organized crime a great opportunity to make profits in a new black market for weapons. Street violence will increase in new turf wars. Criminals will not give up their guns. But, many law abiding citizens will, leaving them defenseless against armed bandits. Background checks, gun registries, and a “cooling off” period may seem like a good idea. But consider that it won’t be
The police do not provide security in your home, your business or the street. They show up after the crime to take reports and do detective work. The poorer the neighborhood, the riskier it is for peaceful residents. Citizens deserve the same protection as police and judicial officers, their lives are not more important than everyone else.