General Discussion

It gave agents of that government an excuse to murder him.

It was NOT a legitimate excuse. It WAS murder. Mr. Pretti had every legal right to carry his firearm, and at no time during the incident was that gun in his hand.

In my opinion, Charlie Kirk was wrong about the 2nd Amendment. Gun advocates conveniently ignore the first part of 2A, which provides the reason for it: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,"

Are individual gun owners today members of a well regulated militia? 2A was written during a time when the US didn't have much of a standing army; England was still a threat (the War of 1812 had not yet occurred); and America west of the Atlantic seaboard was still a dangerous frontier.

I believe the 2nd Amendment is an anachronism, and needs serious revision. I don't advocate abolishing all personal ownership of firearms, but the daily carnage of crime and the mass shootings of innocents make it perfectly clear that current regulations are tragically insufficient to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Charlie Kirk was not defending our rights; he was an advocate for heavily armed "militia" hate groups that reject democracy which produces policies they don't like -- such as civil liberties for racial and gender minorities.

Although very dangerous and capable of slaughter, could these organized hate groups defeat the US military?

Could we?

Keep in mind that Donald Trump is itching to use the Insurrection Act and impose martial law, especially as the midterm elections draw near. Does anyone here doubt for one second he would sieze ballots under the guise of "election integrity," or cancel elections altogether?

The mission of the ICE thugs unleashed in our cities goes beyond deporting immigrants. They not only want to intimidate citizens who resist; they WANT TO PROVOKE VIOLENCE to give Trump an excuse to impose martial law and bring the might of the US military into our cities.

We cannot save our democracy by arming ourselves, girding for battle. That impulse is understandable, given the outrage we all feel and the genuine threat to the republic Benjamin Franklin said we have -- if we can keep it. Nor is a handgun on our person, intended solely for self defense, useful against multiple heavily armed ICE thugs.

We can only save our Constitutional democracy by organizing and participating in greater numbers in PEACEFUL protest, and perhaps getting in some GOOD TROUBLE of the kind John Louis and MLK did when they showed us the way with their sustained campaign of nonviolent resistance.

Many of them were beaten, and some killed. They were willing to sacrifice for a greater cause. How many more would have been killed if they brought weapons to do battle with police and armed forces?

More to the point, would a violent movement have moved the hearts and minds of the general public and their elected representatives sufficiently to pass historic civil rights and voting rights legislation?

I think not. Now we, like them, live in perilous times. The eyes of history are upon us, with much at stake. We grieve for those who sacrificed so much, as Renee Good and Alex Pretti did. Let us take that grief and turn it into courage, resolve, and the discipline to resist this fascist regime and to resist its attempts to provoke us into violence which can only hurt our cause and end in greater tragedy.