Why “Law-Abiding Gun Owner” is a Poor Phrasing

“I’m a Law-Abiding Gun Owner.”

You may have heard this phrase if you’ve ever attended a second amendment rally, watched a NRA ad, or been to a gun show with hokey catch phrases on tee shirts.

You may have even thought to yourself that this is an accurate statement in that you’ve never been charged with a crime and haven’t even gotten a traffic ticket since your teen years.

But is “Law-Abiding Gun Owner” a true description of what gun rights advocates are trying to convey?

I argue that it’s not only inaccurate, but counter-productive to the messaging of what the second amendment and fundamental right to bear arms stands for.

The most important idea to recognize is that “law” is not the same as ethics and morality.

It was once legal to own slaves in America.

It was once legal to beat one’s wife in America.

It was legal to round up Japanese people into internment camps in America.

It was legal to forcibly sterilize people for having physical or mental disorders in America.

It was legal to conduct biological experiments on unwitting citizens in America.

As you can see, there have been many unethical and unjust actions rationalized under the color of law.

So, what good is being “law-abiding” if those laws are unethical?

What good is being “law-abiding” if laws can be passed to ban guns?

Which is why the better phrasing is “peaceful gun owner.”

What is a peaceful gun owner?

A peaceful gun owner is someone who does not want to initiate physical force against the bodies and properties of others.

Ultimately, this means that a peaceful gun owner has guns for defensive purposes, not offensive purposes.

Peaceful gun owners seek to maximize consent and minimize the initiation of force as to others.

They want to respect others’ consent, but are not pacifists.

Those who would try to rob, rape, or murder are subject to deadly defensive force from otherwise peaceful gun owners.
And this makes sense.

Respecting the concept of self-ownership and physical property is a core tenet of maintaining gun rights as it is unethical to disarm a peaceful gun owner, no matter what kind of gun they own.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a bolt action, semi-auto, or fully automatic machine gun: no gun owner who is otherwise peaceful, should have their property disturbed.

This same peaceful respect, when applied to the bodies and properties of all people, leads to visible peace and prosperity because all can act with the security of their possessions and right to bodily autonomy.

And this right to body and property cannot ethically be upended by laws.

When laws turn peaceful gun owners into criminals by decree, then those claiming authority in the name of the state turn into the aggressors.

They become men wielding guns to initiate force against the peaceful public.

The proclaimed “protectors” become the persecuting oppressors.

And that is what underpins the concept of the second amendment: when tyranny becomes law, resistance becomes justice.

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of our fundamental rights, it is the right of individuals to abolish it.

And abolition is on the horizon as those in state power seek to turn our right to bear arms into a privilege.

So, let’s work together to stop the tyrannical assaults on our rights before it is too late.

The time to make our final peaceful stand, is now.

Support content creators educating others on the right to bear arms, like yours truly, and support gun rights organizations taking up lawsuits and writing briefs against gun control like Firearms Policy Coalition.

Together, we can build a future for firearms freedom.

And restore liberty, for all.