Saved by the militia, 9-11 edition

http://reason.com/volokh/2018/09/11/saved-by-the-militia

Randy E. Barnett

You should read the whole thing, I am only quoting the parts I felts were compelling. I realize I am preaching to converted around here tho.

I thought it would be appropriate to mark this day with one of my earliest op-eds on National Review Online — before I joined the Conspiracy — that I published on 9/18/2001:

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A well-regulated militia being essential to the security of a free state. . . ." The next time someone tells you that the militia referred to in the Second Amendment has been "superceded" by the National Guard, ask them who it was that prevented United Airlines Flight 93 from reaching its target. The National Guard? The regular Army? The D.C. Police Department? None of these had a presence on Flight 93 because, in a free society, professional law-enforcement and military personnel cannot be everywhere. Terrorists and criminals are well aware of this — indeed, they count on it. Who is everywhere? The people the Founders referred to as the "general militia." Cell-phone calls from the plane have now revealed that it was members of the general militia, not organized law enforcement, who successfully prevented Flight 93 from reaching its intended target at the cost of their own lives.

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Here is the cold hard fact of the matter that will be evaded and denied but which must never be forgotten in these discussions: Often — whether on an airplane, subway, cruise ship, or in a high school — only self defense by the "unorganized militia" will be available when domestic or foreign terrorists chose their next moment of murder. And here is the public-policy implication of this fact: It would be better if the militia were more prepared to act when it is needed.

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A well-regulated militia does not require a draft or any compulsory training. Nor, as Alexander Hamilton recognized, need training be universal. "To attempt such a thing which would abridge the mass of labor and industry to so considerable extent, would be unwise," he wrote in Federalist 29, "and the experiment, if made, could not succeed, because it would not long be endured." But Congress has the constitutional power to create training programs in effective self-defense including training in small arms — marksmanship, tactics, and gun safety — for any American citizen who volunteers. Any guess how many millions would take weapons training at government expense or even for a modest fee if generally offered?

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CCW holders... 17 million and growing. And training is not even subsidized. Who would not take training for schools, hospitals, offices, etc if it were offered?

Rather than make war on the American people and their liberties, however, Congress should be looking for ways to empower them to protect themselves when warranted. The Founders knew — and put in the form of a written guarantee — the proposition that the individual right to keep and bear arms was the principal means of preserving a militia that was "essential," in a free state, to provide personal and collective self-defense against criminals of all stripes, both domestic and foreign.

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It sounds like a good plan to boosting the number of people who can respond to situations in high-risk areas. I'm sure some people will complain about the training requirement though.

So I would ask the author, would he say that you must have the training to carry in certain places, or that it's just optional? Especially when it comes to airplanes, I do think people should have training. A stray bullet in a pressurized cabin is BAD.

The only thing I disagree with the author about is his view of airport security. He seems to say that we are placing all our eggs in the basket of airport security, then says that the only solution is self-defense. I think we should be doing both. I don't think we should stop x-raying bags, or using bomb detection equipment, or other useful security measures. Security measures should be evaluated, but just because we aren't seeing major headlines about threats stopped doesn't mean security isn't working. I don't' think we should rely solely on any one measure of security.

I also think that if citizens are truly going to step up and become citizen first responders, the training needs to include how to work with police, fire and ems as well. 9/11 showed just how badly professional first responders from different agencies worked together (not through any malicious fault, but through things like differing SOPs, different 10 codes, etc) now imagine throwing citizen first responders into the mix.

I've been thinking recently that the NRA and similar organizations should be funded double what Planned Parenthood is. Granted, there's no constitutional legitimacy to funding either one, but if the left is going to fund abortion providers and major DNC donors to the tune of a half-billion dollars per year, the training implied by the 2nd Amendment ought to at least be funded double.

DP12 said:

I've been thinking recently that the NRA and similar organizations should be funded double what Planned Parenthood is. Granted, there's no constitutional legitimacy to funding either one, but if the left is going to fund abortion providers and major DNC donors to the tune of a half-billion dollars per year, the training implied by the 2nd Amendment ought to at least be funded double.

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Totally agree! Doesn’t the NRA train you and teach you methods to use firearms not only to hunt but also to save lives? PP mainly takes lives. What’s worth more?

Don't forget the CMP.
http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/CMPAnnualReport17w.pdf