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Comment by Kaizyn | Hacker News Reader

One of America's great strengths has always been its respect for authority and commitment to law and order. The founders of America were also realists and they knew that governments tend to accrue power when left the opportunity to do so. Having an armed citizenry serves as a protective measure of last resort and was based on the model of Switzerland. The intent is not to allow people to run around shooting people up as a form of protest against lawful government action; but as a means to protect against unlawful government tyranny.

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> Having an armed citizenry serves as a protective measure of last resort and was based on the model of Switzerland. The intent is not to allow people to run around shooting people up as a form of protest against lawful government action; but as a means to protect against unlawful government tyranny.

From the article:

> It used to be said — correctly — that the patrolman on the beat on any American police force was the last perfect tyranny. Absent a herd of reliable witnesses, there were things he could do to deny you your freedom or kick your ass that were between him, you, and the street. The smartphone with its small, digital camera, is a revolution in civil liberties.

Unlawful government tyranny, in the form of cops doing whatever they want, is exactly what the riots are about.

There's a sneaky distinction there between lawful and unlawful. The problems in US policing seem to involve killings by police that are declared to be lawful after an inadequate process of investigation and prosecution.

Not to mention that until Loving v. Virginia inter-racial marriage was unlawful. Presumably the enforcement of that would not itself count as "unlawful tyranny"? Despite actually being a serious impairment to social freedom.

(The 2nd amendment setup is in practice very different to the model of Switzerland, and is used to justify private gun ownership for private security reasons and private fears of black crime, not public/state security)

Edit on lawfulness: man fires unregistered handgun into crowd, kills one injures one, is not convicted of anything. Guess why. http://crookedtimber.org/2015/04/28/no-justice-for-rekia-boy...

> but as a means to protect against unlawful government tyranny.

We're at that point.

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