New York, NY – Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) recently went on the “Tonight Show” and took questions from the audience.
When asked about mandatory buybacks, Harris was a definite yes.
“A buyback program is a good idea. Now we need to do it the right way,” Harris continued. “And part of that has to be, you know, buy back and give people their value, the financial value of what they have and not just take things from people that have value without compensating them. We need to do it the right way.”
Kamala Harris, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
The call for buybacks from Harris comes right after presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke called for the confiscation of so-called “assault weapons.”
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47. We’re not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore,” O’Roukre vowed.
Beto O’Rourke, third Democratic debate
Both statements are troubling.
What’s more, they put the state of individual liberty in our country into perspective. These presidential candidates actually believe they know what is best for every single person in the United States.
Now, back to the problems, because there are a lot.
Problems with Buybacks
First of all, restricting a citizen’s access to firearms is a blatant violation of the Second Amendment. However, there are a lot of other problems with buying back firearms from citizens.
The first that comes to many people’s mind is the government will use our tax dollars to steal our property. That’s right; you paid for your firearm, then the government spends your money to confiscate it.
Not to mention the dangers created for officials enforcing the law. We find it unlikely everyone in the United States will voluntarily turn over their “assault weapons.” This criminalizes law-abiding citizens and puts good people’s lives at risk if they are unwilling to comply.
Of course, there are even more pressing issues with the statement from Harris. She believes a “buyback” program will provide gun owners with the value of their weapon. The problem – there is much more value to owning a firearm than the cost of the weapon, ammunition, and accessories.
The inherent value of self-defense, for example. The ability of citizens to defend themselves, their property, and their families are lost with confiscation and “buyback” programs.
The removal of citizen’s firearms carries an even greater toll, though. Taking guns from citizens removes their final defense against government tyranny.
If politicians are willing to squash our Second Amendment rights, what other rights will we eventually lose “for the greater good?”
Some people like to say we only have the First Amendment because of the Second Amendment. They are correct, and there is proof throughout history.
Unfortunately, politicians like Harris and O’Rourke clearly do not understand the dangers of their proposals.
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