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The Lockean Project

Where does the government get the authority to carry weapons

Where does the government get the authority to carry weapons – Monterey Herald, submitted April 6, 2020, unpublished

The public usually supports the arming of policing and military personnel. After all, it is hard to fight violent criminals without firepower. But where does the government get the authority to carry weapons? Rights come from the people. Under “consent of the governed,” only citizens have rights, not the government. The public elects our leaders, and then grants them permission to use certain privileges to govern. But the government only has the rights we the people loan them.

In order for the police and military to have the privileges to protect the public with guns, they must first acquire those privileges from the public. In other words, the people must first possess the right of self-defense and to own arms. If the people have no rights to own weapons, then people cannot bestow such authority to the police and military. You cannot give what you do not have.

This is the main concept of John Locke and the Western concept of self-governance and individual liberty. This was a major reason why the Founders inserted the Second Amendment into the Bill of Rights.

Lawrence Samuels, Carmel