The way I explain the 2nd amendment, is by analogy to a volunteer fire department.

Suppose youre concerned, not just that your community may suffer from fires, but that arsonists might get control of the local government. Your fire department might end up being sent out of the way while the fires raged, or even set to igniting them itself.

But if you rely on a volunteer fire department, even if arsonists are in control of the government, that fire department will be motivated to put fires out, not set them.

And if you guarantee the right of people to own and train with fire fighting equipment, then even if your local arsonist rules shut down the volunteer fire department, you can still organize to put out the fires they set.

The 2nd amendment, like the rest of the Bill of Rights, is not intended to facilitate the government doing the right thing out of good motives. Its intended to stop the government from doing the wrong thing out of bad motives. You simply cant understand the Bill of Rights if youre not willing to think of the government as a potential enemy of the people, intent on doing evil, not good.

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"Meet Me in the Middle" Podcast on the Second Amendment - Reason