Pandemics, Civil Order, and Gun Control

About 10 years ago, when Europe was in the midst of fiscal crisis, advocates for welfare spending rioted in some nations.

Given the continent’s grim long-run outlook, that got me thinking about the potential for a future breakdown of civil order and I wrote that it was tragic that most people in Europe didn’t have the right to own guns for self-protection.

Which led to this interview with NRA TV.

Today, the big concern is coronavirus rather than a future collapse of the welfare state

But it does raise the same issue of how to protect yourself and your family if there’s a breakdown or erosion of civil order.

I don’t think that’s imminent, but these headlines are somewhat worrisome.

We’ll start with an example from CNN that’s relatively benign.

But we then learn that the changes involve lack of enforcement and releasing crooks.

From MSN.

From Syracuse.com.

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

From NBC.

I’ve saved the best headline for last.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think crooks are likely to comply with such a request. After all, they wouldn’t be committing crimes if they were civic minded.

Which is why, when I read these types of stories, it reinforces my belief in the 2nd Amendment.

I want to protect people’s civil liberties for all sorts of reasons, and self-protection in extraordinary circumstances surely belongs on that list.

So the moral of the story is that what’s happening now is another strong argument against gun control.

Let’s close with this poll, which I originally shared back in 2013. I’ll be curious whether there will an increase in the percentage of people (14.43 percent as of this morning) citing “societal breakdown.”

P.S. Here’s a column from someone on the left who became a gun-rights supporter after dealing with the chaos caused by a natural disaster.

P.S.S. And let’s not forget the Korean merchants who defended their lives and property during the L.A. riots.