Gun Control & RKBA

The very same instinct of self-defense which acts for our preservation and is an asset at the personal level but a liability to a nation. Various law enforcement agencies have learned that in certain situations (barricaded shooters, hostage situations...) negotiation is a preferred course versus a strictly tactical solution.

The cold war ('50s - '80s) was a long string of conflicts like Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, China/Taiwan, Checkpoint Charlie, various Middle East conflicts and Afghanistan where hostility erupted into armed conflicts and wars. Cuba, for example, was handled better than Afghanistan but far too much of our foreign policy degenerates into (excuse the expression) measurement of the figurative genitals.

We have for over a century favored building a strong military (and using it too often). I believe in the saying, "When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail." For the public, military victories are easier to understand than negotiations and treaties.

Of the many that were great mistakes here's my short list of the biggest:
War on drugs- this can go on forever since a new arch villain and his major crime in focus can be identified and spread via the media as often as needed.
War on terror- this can go on forever since new arch villains and major crimes in focus can be identified and spread via the media as often as needed.
(the list goes on)

The vast number of people, on their own, work to avoid violence and conflict. This is not true when an authority figure becomes involved. See the Milgram Experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment.

Our leaders often lead us into war and conflict. From Daniel Webster: "Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."

I live by the USMC rules for gun fighting #26: "Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation."