An Armed Society is a Polite Society

Everyone knows about the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Here's the part of the story they don't like to teach in public school. There's a reason Mr. Revere didn't ride his horse through the countryside shouting, "The Irish are drunk and fighting again!" And the reason is simple. While the Irish may have been annoying, they weren't a threat. It was the British, under the leadership of General Thomas Gage, who had embarked on a campaign to disarm the colonists by enforcing something called the "Boston Port Act." Paul Revere and his pals, The Sons of Liberty, liked their guns so they pushed back. They stalked the general and his red-clad minions, establishing a system for warning their fellow colonists whenever the Brits were on the prowl. It was on this date, April 19, in 1775 that General Gage overplayed his hand by trying to disarm the wrong guys. His actions triggered... literally and figuratively... the Battle of Lexington. And so began the American War of Independence. Hopefully, your history teacher told you who won the war, because I bet he or she didn't spend a lot of time on the British strategy to disarm the colonists, the many important reasons our founders fought or the significance of the Second Amendment.... "Hillary is coming. Hillary is coming." We don't have Paul Revere anymore... but the important work of the Sons of Liberty continues. The NATIONAL JOURNAL has named the National Rifle Association the most effective lobbying organization on Capitol Hill. Second in the survey of 73 lawmakers representing both parties was the "Club for Growth." The NRA lists 4 million well-armed members. Most of them are eligible, registered and passionate voters. And almost every one of them would rather miss a headshot on a home intruder than an opportunity to cast a vote against a gun-grabber.