The Authority of Guns

New York Times headline this morning (composed after examination of 700 armed protests): “At protests across America, guns are doing the talking.”

Open-carry laws are allowing protestors to brandish their weapons and demonstrate how they will prevail over their opponents, by force of arms, if necessary, despite what anyone else may think. The right to bear arms was sanctified in the Constitution because of the perceived need in some circumstances in the late 18th century for “a well-regulated militia.” Malevolent forces have taken us from there to here, and given the composition of the Supreme Court and the mindset of a critical number of those holding public office, there’s no escape from it in sight.