TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Freedom, firearms, and civil resistance
JO  - Journal of ethics, The
A1  - Crummett, Dustin
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 1382-4554
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10892-021-09365-3
ID  - ref1
ER  -