In Defense of the Second Amendment
This week’s book of the week is a new release but does not violate my book buying moratorium since I pre-ordered it back in July of 2022. In Defense of the Second Amendment, by Larry Correia.
Now, as many of you may recall from my October fiction book, Larry Correia is one of my favorite fiction authors. Don’t let that dissuade you though, this is unquestionably a non-fiction book. See, before becoming a best-selling fiction author, Correia was (still is I guess) a Gun Guy. He owned a firearms store, taught CCW classes, and testified before the Utah State Legislature on what the ramifications of their various proposed gun control measures would be.
And even after becoming Best Selling Author Larry Correia, Correia has spent a not insignificant chunk of the last decade arguing with idiots on the Twittersphere and Farcebook, writing several blog posts that have gone viral, all on gun rights and the benefits of a well-armed populace. I think on the podcast he’s on with Steve Diamond, he mentioned writing this book was more like pulling his Best Of blog posts and checking for updated statistics. So, he actually churned this one out in less time than he turns out most of his fiction books...and he is a prolific writer of fiction.
Now, what was in this book. A healthy dose of Correia Sarcasm. Which made this wickedly funny to read. Unless you are the left-wing nut who believes everything Mom’s Demand Action puts out. Now, he does try to keep this non-partisan, because as Correia points out, self-defense is a basic human right that applies equally to all, across the entire political spectrum. But he does go after Moms Demand Action with a brutal vengeance that is glorious to read.
He starts by identifying the anti-gun crowd as vultures, and why he calls them that. Which is accurate. Vultures, being scavengers, glory and dance in the blood of the dead. He outlines in detail a phenomenon anyone who is center to right of center on gun rights is grossly familiar with. Wild speculation on the motives of the murderer until the shooter is shown to not fit The Message...the message being that only white cis-hetero men who vote republican are mass shooters. Once the shooter is shown to be of the left’s political persuasion, the story vanishes from the media. Like clockwork. It’s so blatantly partisan, The Husband and I don’t even have to follow the news to know if the shooter fits The Message. We can tell by how quickly the stories vanish from our social media if the shooter was, in fact, a left-wing nut.
But Correia goes a bit further, actually breaking down just how biased the news is, giving us statistics that demonstrate how lopsided the reporting is.... even better, he cites his sources on that, letting those of us who aren’t on the crazy train know that we are definitely not on that train. It is as biased as we think it is. It’s actually worse.
He covers in detail why all the Do Somethings accomplish nothing. He covers all the usual suspects: Ban automatic weapons (they already are: See National Firearms Act of 1934); Ban X type of Gun (insert whatever X may be), You don’t need an assault rifle for hunting, Why do civilians need weapons of war? (Hello, Ukraine!); banning certain types of ammunition, banning X type of gun adjustment....X can be certain magazines, certain stocks, certain grips, red flag laws.... He addresses all of this and more, including why whatever the Do Somethings want is generally a terrible idea. He also follows to its logical horrifying conclusion the bizarre idea that cops are super eager to engage in gun confiscation, and why that is unlikely to ever happen. Not impossible. All things are possible if your government is tyrannical enough. But in America, that pesky second amendment mitigates tyranny. Or rather, it gives We the People the ability TO mitigate the tyranny.
It was interesting to watch him break it down, because if you’ll recall my rather annoyed discussion of How Civil Wars Start last year, I discussed why the good old boys might want to be careful in wishing for war. But I was also unsure of how many of our former military might push back. Correia has no such hesitation in saying former and possibly even active military, might come down on the side of We the People, and not on the side of the political elite. He doesn’t say it, but if you think about the oath they take, promising to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic...
Well think about it. If enough of the Praetorian Guard determines the biggest enemy is domestic, sitting in DC, things will get real spicy real quick.
Correia also includes some measures that we can do that WOULD help stop mass shootings. Including things like Arming Teachers and how to fight back against gun control laws that do nothing but disarm citizens.
And the running theme throughout the book...ok, ONE of the running themes, is that Criminals Don’t Obey Laws. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together is well aware of this. Which is why anyone with two braincells to rub together is aware that gun control laws do nothing to stop crime. Because criminals don’t care. All gun control laws do is disarm law abiding citizens and make guns that are legal less safe.
Other running themes include the capriciousness of the ATF and the idiocy of the Do Something Politicians who never know what they’re talking about. The book actually opens with this disclaimer:
“Book publishing takes time, and since this went to press, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has likely changed its regulations because, well, as an organization it is malicious, capricious, malignantly dysfunctional, and generally sucks. Make sure you check the current rules.”
He mostly is non-partisan, although he does spend the last chapter shredding the spineless politicians who sell out We the People for perceived political clout. And telling us what we can do to help win the culture war that has been trying to disarm us and leave us helpless in the face of government tyranny.
He reinforces, repeatedly, how self-defense IS A non-partisan issue, and how, despite what the left wing nuts want everyone to think, gun culture is a big pile of centrist love. Yes, we have the asshole uncles that people avoid at the family reunion, but most of us are more than happy to invite everyone to the party. Because an armed society is a polite society. Joking. Sort of. But typically, when you get gun people together, all other cultural barriers fade away as the conversation turns to who prefers to shoot what.
I loved this book. When I remove the tags in the book, I’m going to leave some tags in place for quick reference, next time I find myself embroiled in a social media shit show with a Do Something numbskull, I’ll have a quick reference to pull out of my pocket and help me put on a good show for the spectators in the room. Because as Correia says, “You can have a rational discussion with people who are engaging in good faith, but if you are engaging the willfully ignorant, just remember that debate is a spectator sport. You don’t do it expecting to sway your opponent. They exist simply for you to make your case to the audience. If there’s no audience, don’t waste your time.”
This book was originally reviewed on YouTube on February 19, 2023, but is now available on Rumble and PodBean.
