@article{ref1,
title="Freedom, firearms, and civil resistance",
journal="Journal of ethics, The",
year="2021",
author="Crummett, Dustin",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="The claim that guns can safeguard freedom is common in US political discourse. In light of a broadly republican understanding of freedom, I evaluate this claim and its implications. The idea is usually that firearms would enable citizens to engage in revolutionary violence against a tyrannical government. I argue that some of the most common objections to this argument fail, but that the argument is fairly weak in light of other objections. I then defend a different argument for the claim that guns can safeguard freedom. I claim that firearm ownership among members of oppressed groups can hinder the use of systematic violence aimed at preventing them from exercising their basic liberties. I show how a commitment to armed self-defense is compatible with non-violent civil resistance as a tool of political change, and show how the former facilitated the latter during the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, I consider the policy implications of my argument. I don't think it vindicates lax gun control policies. However, it may vindicate some individuals acquiring guns and learning how to use them, and some organizations aiding them in doing so.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1382-4554",
doi="10.1007/s10892-021-09365-3",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10892-021-09365-3"
}