Considering the Gift of King James II

In these troubling days, we’re watching in real time as citizens of a sovereign country are attacked by a much larger aggressor. They are in a very precarious position because of the overwhelming power advantage of the aggressor. Throughout the history of civilization, human greed has manifested itself as warfare. Wars of the past were fought by armies, hand to hand and with weapons often not available to the common man. Once a nation’s army was beaten, the remaining citizens had no choice but to submit to the conquering nation.

Today, things have changed in many nations. They have adopted constitutions that recognize inalienable rights for all their citizens. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes Article 3, which states, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” It’s that final clause, the “security of person” that has resulted in a dramatic paradigm shift in places like Ukraine.

When one is guaranteed the security of their person, a government must either provide that without fail or grant that person the ability to provide that security for themselves. In our modern industrialized world, arms that in the past only a standing army could afford are now available to the common man. One need look back no further than our own Revolutionary War for evidence of just how important the armed common man was in forming a new nation. It was the power of the pen that declared our independence, but it was the muzzle of a long rifle, often owned by the common man, that won the war.

While there has been much debate about who should or should not own firearms, the citizens of Ukraine today are yet another example of the power of an armed citizenry. While the aggressor’s air force, navy and army have a tremendous advantage in the ability to project power, everyday citizens are there to disrupt that power at every turn. We often hear that armed citizens are no match for an army of today. I would suggest that the last few decades in the history of Afghanistan prove the contrary. Armed citizens engaging in mostly guerrilla warfare have beaten back the world’s two superpowers.

Which brings us back to King James II. The “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 was driven by religious turmoil and resulted in King James II vacating the throne to William and Mary. They recognized that things needed to change and adopted the English Bill of Rights. Among the rights it granted all citizens was the first formal recognition of the right to bear arms for self-defense.

As the founders of our nation crafted first the Constitution and then the Bill of Rights, they were informed by that English Bill of Rights and included our 2nd Amendment:

“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

And we have King James II to thank for it. FBN

By Rob Wilson

Rob Wilson is the owner, with his wife, Elise, of  Timberline Firearms & Training in Flagstaff. They offer a full line of firearms, accessories, safes and ammunition along with Liberty Safes. For more information, visit timberlinefirearms.us.