Guns and Gun Control
“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary”
Fascism has taken over America. The Democrats, the opposing party, are doing nothing effective. Trump is already talking about a third term and it’s only March. The enemy is more than the State though. There have been, for decades, far right paramilitary groups. The Ku Klux Klan, National Socialist Movement (note: these are not socialists), and Proud Boys just to name a few. And all are armed. All of them train. This is the moment they’ve been waiting for. The working class must arm themselves.
Throughout history there has been armed resistance to oppression. From The Helot Revolt of 464Bce to the French Revolution, Blair Mountain and the Mine Wars, the Homestead Strike, every partisan resistance group from WW2, to modern day with random citizens taking up arms in Minneapolis and Philadelphia. Armed resistance arises every time oppression rears its head.
Does this mean you have to be armed and violent? No, not everyone can safely own firearms. If you can though, you should. It’s not about upholding the 2nd Amendment and it’s not about taking gun culture from the right. It’s about safety. It’s about protecting your community.
The main argument against armed resistance is, “how can an AR-15 stop tanks and drones?” To that I say, “look at Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, at every single guerrilla offensive in American history.” The US military has never been able to win in a guerrilla war. But the military is the least of our worries. The paramilitary groups that Trump has emboldened are the threat. Whether it’s Proud Boys or ICE, fascists are in the streets looking to hurt people. Why wouldn’t you want equal firepower?
Back to the original point from Marx. It is not a pro-gun quote but a pro-revolution quote. A revolution cannot be just peaceful. The State will never cede power to the proletariat through peaceful means. Not once in history has it happened. To be armed is to threaten the State. To be armed is to be able to fight the State if it comes down to it. To be armed is to defend yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
Some organizations that are great to join if you feel uncomfortable with firearms. (Note: some may or may not be currently active in your area)
-Socialist Rifle Association
-Pink Pistols
-John Brown Gun Club
-Trigger Warning
-The Liberal Gun Club
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Thank you
No war but class war
No one is free on stolen land
Free all oppressed people
I used to go shooting with an offshoot of JBGC. They (at least the folks I know) are thoughtful, intelligent, kindhearted people who understand the need for an armed proletariat and who actually back that ideology up with mutual aid, street medic work, and other direct types of action/community support.
I also have a friend in the SRA, and he's the sweetest old socialist science teacher you could hope to meet.
The gun folks of the left are NOT "gun nuts," as some might like us to believe. They recognize what you acknowledge in this piece- liberation may require defense of the liberators.