The Price of Freedom

by Mark Zanghetti
mzanghetti@qwest.net
July 4, 2001

"People willing to give up freedom for a little safety, deserve neither freedom nor safety."
--Ben Franklin.

"We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
--The Declaration of Independence

Over the last couple of weeks I have read more than a couple of articles that have talked about using force against agents of the US government. That frightens me. I do not understand how we have reached this point. 

I have done quite a bit of reading on the right to keep and bear arms and the issue is rather clear. This country is at a fork in the road, and the entire country needs to determine together where we go from here. 

This country was founded by men who designed a government that had never existed before. This country was entrusted to us by those men, and there are many who would say we have betrayed that trust. 

The Bill of Rights is a document that lays out, not rights granted to us by the government, but God given rights that we should never allow to be taken away by our government. Yet that is what our government is attempting to do. There are those who think our rights under the second amendment should be sharply curtailed or eliminated. "It is a matter of 'Gun Safety'," they will cry. "It is 'for the children'," they will wail in protest. No, it is far more than that! Those men who signed the declaration pledged everything so that this country might become a nation. These were not fainthearted men, who turned and ran at the first sign of trouble; we can do no less. 

The freedom we have in this country has a very high price. I read an article last year that talked about what some of the signers of the declaration went through as a result of their actions. Many of them paid a heavy price for their actions. We must also pay a heavy price; that price is not in gold or silver, but eternal vigilance. I am not willing to die for a cause I do not believe in, and neither were these men. I am, however, willing to die for a cause I do believe in. They did not take what they did lightly, and neither should we. 

The government that was set up by these men, was set up by men who did not trust it. The Bill of Rights was written so that our God given rights were enumerated for all time. There are those who would say that we no longer need to fear the power of the government, that the people should surrender their arms in order for us to be safe. It is our arms that keep us safe, and keep us free. I can not give you a better answer to the request for us to surrender our arms for a little temporary safety than that of Mr. Franklin. It has been said many times that the second amendment guarantees the others. So we should no more surrender our arms than our printing presses. As I said earlier, this country is at a fork in the road. In one direction we see the continuance of the journey started by our founding fathers. Down the other path lies the path of disarming and surrendering our freedom. Any call for us to surrender our arms should be resisted, with our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. Our founding Fathers swore to do this, can we do any less?

This then should be the reply to anyone who wants to take way our freedom:

The Founding Fathers swore everything to help found this country and we should be willing to do the same to keep America free and strong. Are you willing to do the same to take our rights way? 

Do you feel so strongly that I should no longer have the right to keep and bear arms that you are willing to pledge your life, your fortune and your honor? 

I can not guarantee it will be necessary for you to lay down your life to get our guns, but are you truly willing to do so? 

I do not ask these questions to threaten you, but to ask you to think. Is a temporary illusion of safety so important that you are willing to give up your freedom for it? 

How can you do this after considering the high price that was paid for that freedom by all who have come before? 

Are you willing to pay that price?

Are you willing to pledge your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor? 

Understand this, I most certainly am and will! 

There is a long line of patriots who have given their lives for this country and what they believed in. Are you willing to give your life to get my guns? 

If not, then have the honor to stop this foolishness and allow honest men to live in peace.