Actually my request for an answer to this is entirely genuine. EQNoble tried to state that restricting guns would remove a part of his existance and upbringing, but still did not explain how it protects his freedoms.
If I cloned you, and gave 1 of you a gun, and one of you not. What would be the difference? Are you saying the one with a gun would be more "free" than the one without?
Slavik,
To answer this properly, I believe one would have to look at the 2nd amendment right to bear arms from a historical context.
1 - Why did the founding fathers feel so importantly about the right to keep and bears that they specifically listed it in the Bill of Rights?
2 - What is the America's cultural history around gun ownership that leads to some (not all) of the pro-gun ownership opinions today?
== 1 ==
This is a decent article describing the thoughts of the founding fathers (there are other more descriptive texts out there) but I like this one as it describes much of the historical context (taken from the English) that lead to the provision.
http://www.constitution.org/2ll/2ndschol/89vand.pdf
"English history made two things clear to the American revolutionaries: force of arms was the
only effective check on government, and standing armies threatened liberty. Recognition of these
premises meant that the force of arms necessary to check government had to be placed in the hands
of citizens."
== 2 ==
America's history is a funny one ... I am not sure if I can explain the nuances of the culture, I believe the vast majority of American's are somewhat ignorant of it themselves.
To keep this concise, America was built on the promise that everyone is equal and all are afforded the same promise of prosperity and protection against tyranny. The people who lived and fought for American independence felt beyond any shadow of a doubt that it is the responsibility of the people to remain every vigilant against tyranny and the encroachment of our rights. It's a covenant, or sacred right if you will, by the people and between the people. It's that sense of honor and integrity that is the backbone of the US armed forces and saw our men and women (both at home and abroad) through two world wars, and several international engagements.
I feel the problem is that our forefathers didn't envision a world where the people would fail to live up to this moral covenant. Just ask anyone about jury duty and 9 out of 10 people will tell you how they did everything they could to get out of it. Yes, jury duty is a chore -- and I respect those who cannot do it for an extended period of time for financial or familial reasons, but even if that's 4 out of those 9 - that is not the first and foremost reason for abandoning their obligation.
And that is not the only instance, but it is the least controversial and perhaps by being the simplest element, you will understand better the point I am raising.