In this article, I want to share some information and analysis from Four Boxes Diner, and then add on an important observation of my own. Sadly, Americans are not only spending money and debt we can’t afford, but we risk (and lose) American lives so that countries in Europe and Asia can continue abusing the rights of their own people.
Ukraine’s Already Planning A Crackdown On Guns
Whatever your feelings about Ukraine, one thing’s clear: the argument for strict gun control should be dead in that country. People there did their best to prepare for an invasion, but people who didn’t already have a firearm struggled to train and prepare to fight using wooden guns.
As we’ve seen in Israel, a population facing terrorism and warfare ends up ditching gun control, but, the lesson doesn’t seem to be sticking in Ukraine despite their war being nowhere near even over!
Four Boxes Diner, a YouTube channel by constitutional attorney Mark W. Smith is a great source of information on Ukraine and guns. He literally wrote the book on the topic. Sadly (unless you’re a big fan of Vladimir Putin), he doesn’t have great news in this recent video.
A recent survey in Ukraine got the results you’d expect in a war-torn country: that most people want to have a gun (duh!). But, instead of realizing that this could be good for long-term security, researchers are already working hard to lay out justifications and preparations for civilian disarmament after the war. Worse, preparations are already under way.
How can they do this? They’ll do what every other too-big-for-their-britches government does: demand registration. After all, Ukrainians are kind of like Americans after 9/11, and are often far too trusting. So, 2023 was the perfect time to do something “harmless” like build a gun registry. This is how they plan to institute “effective control”.
A Historical Parallel
The history of gun registration is well-known among gun rights activists, but Smith goes through some of the history to make sure people new to this know what he’s talking about. To illustrate how seemingly harmless registration leads to confiscation, he uses the UK as an example.
Until the late 19th century, England was a lot like the United States when it came to firearms. No license was required until 1870, and then only a cheap and easy to get license was required to carry. Even then, the license could be had from the post office, and the punishment for carrying without one was a fine, and not any kind of jail or prison time. It was this way until 1920.
World War I changed all this. Instead of keeping people in the UK armed and prepared for a future war, the government wanted to disarm everyone, but kept the plan a secret for fear that veterans would be in a position to overthrow them. Why? Because World War I was not only the first major war with the horrors of modern industry, but it seemed like a pointless slaughtering machine that the veterans had been sent into. With all of these angry and horrified people coming home armed, they wanted to take care of the elites.
Just over a year later, the UK massively expanded the reach of anti-gun laws, going to what was basically a “may issue” system (a disease we’re still trying to cure in the United States). From then on, the government added more and more restrictions until almost nobody can have a gun, and even those few who can still lawfully own one can’t use it for self defense.
So, in some ways, we’re seeing the same thing happen again. Ukraine is doing exactly the same thing that the UK did, preparing to enact gun control again (perhaps more harshly) once the war is over.
Americans Get To Pay For This Nonsense
Not only should we watch out for this to happen in the United States as Smith says, but we should also keep in mind that Americans are subsidizing gun control not only with massive defense spending, but also with American lives.
Let’s start with what happened when the next war came to the UK. When the Nazis came to power and threatened England, they expected Americans to bail them out.
Yes, this was a real ad in an NRA publication from 1940. American guns were donated to send to the UK to improve civilian safety during the war in case of an invasion. These ended up being used by a uniformed service, the Home Guard, and were largely not returned to the United States after the war ended.
While Russians bore the brunt of casualties fighting the Nazis in World War II, many American lives were lost and a great amount of American money and industrial work went toward saving the UK from Nazi invasion. As a kid, I watched my grandfather suffer from a loss of mobility, caused by injuries and frostbite he sustained fighting for freedom in Europe.
Despite all of these sacrifices, Europe has turned around and not only banned or heavily restricted civilian gun ownership, but they don’t spend that much on their own militaries, leaning on the United States for support. We see the same thing in Asia, with countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Phillippines putting their citizens under severe restrictions and constantly begging the United States for more and more military support to defend against North Korea and China’s Communist Party.
But, when these countries fail to invest in their own defenses and fail to prepare their people for the fight, they expect Americans to pay for their defense and for Americans to come and die for them.
I’m personally not against helping allies, because America doesn’t exist in a vacuum. I have friends in some of these countries who are worth taking a risk for. But, we should demand that they help themselves more and quit worrying about gun control before they can expect us to pick up the slack for their lack of strategic foresight.
America Shouldn’t Be Supporting or Fighting Wars in Other Countries.
Fixed It For You.
“Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations…entangling alliances with none”
― Thomas Jefferson
Amen, Johnny. And while we are fighting wars in other countries, and our attention is drawn elsewhere, we are losing our rights right here at home. Our crooked politicians always did want to disarm everyone. After all, it has worked so well in other countries…
“And while we are fighting wars in other countries, and our attention is drawn elsewhere, we are losing our rights right here at home.”
Such is the ENTIRE PURPOSE of America fighting wars in other countries, plus to enrich the war mongers.
The UK always was an extremely class conscious society and after the Great War greatly decimated the ranks of the elites and showing officers selected for family lineages were usually inept. Thankfully for the long suffering troops the life in service for such officers was measured in weeks.
The event that really frightened the elites were the events in Russia where the Tsar and his family were eventually executed.
@SouthernCross:
We have the opposite here in the US.
When wankerweasles screw up in politics, they are coddled and protected. ANY personal threats to their position or power are “mitigated”.
Most modern countries would have considered executing the nitwitted rich chicks (allegedly leaders and managers) responsible for the deaths and failure of Benghazzi.
Being quietly removed and given more power elsewhere shrieks NEPOTISM, as in Royalty or criminal enterprise.
Remember Vince Foster? He shot himself in the right temple. Seems to always be the way left-handed Clinton acquaintances leave town…
Johnny, would you rather fight here in America?
Americans shouldn’t be propping up gun control ANYWHERE PERIOD.
Dang.
Home run on the first swing.
Well written.
But foresee that this just makes too much sense for the common sheeple to wrap their mind around.
“Moderation” is a key component to fear and control.
AI is firmly in place as our benevolent moderator.
My first two comments sent to the Twilight Zone.
Alas TTAG… Et tu, Brute?
I had a completely innocuous comment go to moderation he!! yesterday. Been supporting TTAG for over 10 years. Oh Ukraine is already a failed state. What a colossal waste of $. They were Soviet a lot longer than “independent”🙄
Just checked the pending comments just saying and I don’t see anything there so not sure what happened, but your comments never came through to even be moderated. And honestly, we don’t have time to babysit comments or the money for sophisticated AI to play Big Brother on you. One of our tech guys was messing with settings yesterday trying to limit more of the spam that makes it through, because sites get flooded with that stuff, and the new settings erroneously sent everything to pending for approval. It wasn’t a grand conspiracy to limit your voices as everyone is so quick to assume. We fixed it as soon as we realized the issue. That’s why former water walkers comments apparently went into “moderation he!!” Haha. You guys are big boys (and girls) so we welcome intelligent comments and discussion. Always have, always will. Say unnecessarily nasty things about others, threaten people, use unnecessarily foul language, or come here just to create problems for everyone and yeah, we’ll moderate you. Pretty simple. Have a great weekend guys and thanks for your comments.
Never read a comment from dacian?
Huh. That’s quite a ‘tude for an editor, but it’s your playground and your right to pick up your ball and kick us out of the game anytime.
I always find it interesting that my posts are sent to moderation for the mortal sin of including a political word that trips the censorbot, while I can say unnecessarily nasty things about the troll posters while using extremely foul language — and get away with it.
Maybe it’s the inconsistency that rankles the responders?
thought i was being singled out…
Oh, and sorry for the inconvenience on that guys.
Thank you.
when both sides get tired of all the killing [in Ukraine]….that war will end
Ukraine is already planning reimplementation of gun control after the Russian war ends. Taiwan is training with Nerf Guns and airsoft. They will loose. They deserve what they get.
@MMule: I do not agree with your comment that the Taiwan Islanders “deserve what they get”.
The PEOPLE of Taiwan when I was there were honorable and trustworthy IMHO. It is the proliferation of Leftist Jack-Coughs making their way up the political ladders anywhere that deserve the coming wrath.
My claim is that the average Formosan is honorable and trustworthy, versus the average Chinese or Russian may be partially provable: Buy a few items from each country on eBay or however. See which people ripped you off. Bingo! China streaked to first place in this competition!
Some of us mostly died for Vietnamese. I have honorable Vietnamese friends who are much dearer to me than 100% of all Draft Dodgers that live here. Taiwan would be a worthy place to die to protect honest people. YMMV.
PS: TET is now. Saturday the parade in Little Saigon jumps off at 0900.
Go down there wearing a smattering of uniform and meet some OTHER Americans who are Viet Nam Veterans.
Then listen to THEIR stories.
I did, and it changed me forever.
Taiwan can’t shake off the legacies of Chiang Kai Shek and the Kuomintang.
They have to have total control.
Then what’s stopping the DPP and the TPP from discrediting the Kuomintang’s doctrines, and why then is it that the DPP is also citizen-disarmist?
“Taiwan can’t shake off the legacies of Chiang Kai Shek and the Kuomintang.”
It’s kinda an Asian cultural thing over there. Medieval Japan had the death penalty for any peasant found in possession of a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ I.e., a sword.
Taiwan is fucked. The only way they can un-fuck themselves is to destroy all records of who owns what guns. That will make the Chinese think twice before invading, the possibility of a ‘gun behind every blade of grass’…
I my part of the world there are enough sycophants who are hoping for a knighthood. There are some who are sucking up enough to the queen, or king, they will be granted a knighthood automatically for their actions. While they try they won’t be granted a knighthood no matter how hard they want it.
The modern American mission is propping up neo-feudalism so this behavior is on brand.
The USA along with other “developed” nations seeks to spread these ideals across the globe:
-Corporate and government merging
-reduction of the surplus population (toxins, sterilization, malnutrition, conflict, energy deficits, etc…)
-restrictions on remaining population under the guise of climate protection(travel limits, inability to save, limits on consumption/food types and quantities, persistent tracking of all behaviors, gate-keeping available information, taxing and fines, etc…)
When you accept that the end goal for all of the elites is a manageable peasant class laboring for the grandeur and excess of their lords and nobles you see that it is perfectly in line with modern American values to support liberty restrictions on the 99% worldwide.
We’d be lucky if the Chinese model was really the endgame.
Know that even as it may appear that America its “helping allies” America in its current form isn’t doing squat to help your friends.
Defenseless citizenry, Ukraine surrendering its nukes opened the door for putin and there’s still shtforbrains in Ukraine who want the same Controls that fueled the mess. That’s like saying here’s the gun I used to stop a murderer and now you keep it Jim Crow Gun Control democRat joe.
Bottom line…Abolish Gun Control Now.
“-reduction of the surplus population (toxins, sterilization, malnutrition, conflict, energy deficits, etc…)”
No need, it’s happening right now in the developed countries, including the USA. The birth rate is now below what is needed to even maintain a population at current levels.
As to why, it’s a good question. The argument made by the famous ‘mouse utopia’ study may be what’s going on…
https://sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/mouse-heaven-or-mouse-hell/
“Those that forget their history” …. You should know the rest … Sigh………
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwQ7VNNvsk
newsom is calling for Reparations. And instead of calling out and holding newsom and his democRat Party liable for its centuries of race based atrocities silent dumbfuk Republican History illiterates across America stand around like Wildebeest waiting to be eaten.
When it comes to Gun Control and Reparations one can bet the fricking farm…democRat Party History Matters.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=neLdsW7XZSM&feature=shared
A friend of mine has a S&W Triple-Lock with British proof marks. It went over during Lend/Lease then came back after the war. Whoever gave that back was a foolish man.
That is quite a prize. A S&W triple lock is a gem on its own but one that has crossed the Atlantic twice, with purpose, is beyond value. Your friend owns a window into history.
Analogous to our federal tax dollars allocated for anti-crime going to cities that defunded their police. What a scam that is. Defund your police and then go get a handout from the feds to try to fix the increase in crime.
Any city that defunded their cops should have their federal handouts fixed at 2019 levels.
2A win: US District Court (Obama appointed) judge in Illinois finds federal gun control law 18 USC 922(g)(1) to be unconstitutional under the 2nd Amendment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8BXvM5cx6w
“I have friends in some of these countries who are worth taking a risk for.”
I have friends in some of these countries for whom I believe taking a risk is worthwhile.
Don’t end a sentence with a preposition. I assume TTAG doesn’t want to be equated with the worthless local newspaper.
Sorry. Not sorry.
“Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.”
“That is the sort of nonsense up with which I shall not put.” – Winston Churchill
I have a copy of Strunk and White on my desk, and this rule isn’t in there.
Another article that proves the point that gun control is about nothing but control of the general populace and protection of the politicians and wealthy donor class.
Biden trafficking weapons into Ukraine is only going to serve empowering the Russian government. He is doing the very thing the entire Democrat left claims Trump did. Right infront of everyones’ eyes.
Putin is the winner here. I said from the start of this thing that I really never believed that Ukraine could win this thing. Certainly not with small arms and what we’ve all seen is that much heavier artillery has been sent. It does amaze me though that so much of the Russian military seems to be somewhat useless. They are not the same fighting force they once were. But that doesn’t mean they can’t take what they want. It just requires a great deal more effort now (and blood).
All that hardware will be takin from the whatever is left of the Ukraine people to be transfered to Putin at a later time.
wouldn’t say Putin was the winner…he thought he could easily take the whole country…WRONG!…he thought he could intimidate NATO…WRONG!… and he thought his image could be enhanced by doing this….also WRONG!…what he’s trying to do is save some face by hanging on to what territory he has taken..in that he may prove successful…..
“But, we should demand that they help themselves more and quit worrying about gun control …”
What gives America the right (and the gall) to think that we can and should impose our opinions, system of government, or culture on any other?
valid point…[and its gotten us into some trouble…witness 911]…but if they want our protection then we should insist they take measures to protect themselves…and not thrust the full burden onto us…
Not much difference between “demand” (as in the article) and “insist” (in your response).
“Nice country you have there … be a shame if anything happened to it. Tell you what — we’ll arrange some protection, as long as you agree to …”
quote———–Whatever your feelings about Ukraine, one thing’s clear, the argument for strict gun control should be dead in that country. People there did their best to prepare for an invasion, but people who didn’t already have a firearm struggled to train and prepare to fight using wooden guns.———-quote
With all due respect your thinking is flawed. One of the main criticisms of Russia in this war is that they were literally snatching draftees off of the Moscow streets and giving them 10 minutes to fire a couple of live rounds out of their AK47’s and then sending them to be slaughtered as cannon fodder.
Now in comparison the same would happen to Ukrainian Citizens who tried to resist a Russian invasion without first getting proper military training (which by the way they do get). The glorification of the American “Minute Man” is and was a total myth. The U.S. did not win its revolution with a bunch of untrained Hillbillies but won because of the professionally trained and equipped French Army and Navy. George Washington was so incompetent he had to hire an old has been alcoholic German General to attempt to train his ill-equipped volunteers.
Civilian gun control has everything to do with keeping its citizens safe from criminals and maniacs and nothing to do with the defense of their country. That is as true today as it was in Colonial times, which by the way had numerous gun control laws including the banning of carrying weapons and even keeping a gun loaded in their home.
I might also remind people that civilian firearms are many times not of the same caliber as military weapons so what good would a shotgun or .22 rifle have done the Ukrainian civilians? Many nations even ban the civilian ownership of weapons of military caliber.
We should be careful of what the author of the articles says, “People there did their best to prepare for an invasion, but people who didn’t already have a firearm struggled to train and prepare to fight using wooden guns.” Ukraine actually did not try to prepare for the invasion that occurred in late Feb. 2022. Ukraine had a number of years to prepare its people for a Russian invasion since Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and Ukraine did nothing. Ukraine did hand out weapons and train people just a month or 2 before the 2022 invasion. When NATO and the U.S. told the world Russia was not going to invade in 2022, it was lies. We knew Russia was going to invade Crimea in 2014 because nothing escapes the worldwide network of intelligence agencies. It is just fact Ukraine did its best to subvert any chance of arming its people to look more favorable to the anti-gun EU/NATO countries. It is only the former Warsaw pact countries in the EU/NATO that understand that you must be armed after suffering years of occupation by the U.S.S.R.
when this war ends the EU will be a major player here…NATO membership will be a bargaining chip….
J, what you must remember is what Neville Chamberlain did in surrendering the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany. I’ll bet the Ukrainians felt the same way after Russia annexed the Crimea. If we do not learn from history (to all you Leftists out there), we are doomed to repeat it.
the Brazilian president of Taurus supports gun control and confiscation in Brazil.
EFF Taurus.
I own two TX22 and two G3 9mm.
fine reliable pistols.
great value.
TX22 is the best gun have ever owned.
Until the CEO DoucheBag in Brazil is removed from Taurus HQ and the company does a public about face … Taurus should have Nancy Pelosi sit naked on their collective faces.
2nd attempt to post
quote———–Whatever your feelings about Ukraine, one thing’s clear, the argument for strict gun control should be dead in that country. People there did their best to prepare for an invasion, but people who didn’t already have a firearm struggled to train and prepare to fight using wooden guns.———-quote
With all due respect your thinking is flawed. One of the main criticisms of Russia in this war is that they were literally snatching draftees off of the Moscow streets and giving them 10 minutes to fire a couple of live rounds out of their AK47’s and then sending them to be slaughtered as cannon fodder.
Now in comparison the same would happen to Ukrainian Citizens who tried to resist a Russian invasion without first getting proper military training (which by the way they do get). The glorification of the American “Minute Man” is and was a total myth. The U.S. did not win its revolution with a bunch of untrained Hillbillies but won because of the professionally trained and equipped French Army and Navy. George Washington was so incompetent he had to hire an old has been alcoholic German General to attempt to train his ill-equipped volunteers.
Civilian gun control has everything to do with keeping its citizens safe from criminals and maniacs and nothing to do with the defense of their country. That is as true today as it was in Colonial times, which by the way had numerous gun control laws including the banning of carrying weapons and even keeping a gun loaded in their home.
I might also remind people that civilian firearms are many times not of the same caliber as military weapons so what good would a shotgun or .22 rifle have done the Ukrainian civilians? Many nations even ban the civilian ownership of weapons of military caliber.
If Americans want to volunteer and go fight in the Ukraine. Like, many Americans years ago volunteered to go fly in England against the Germans. Or in Ethiopia against the invading italians they’re certainly free to do so.
England had terrible gun control before @dolf Hit ler attacked them. And to be honest, we had racist gun control here in the United States, before the japanese bombed pearl harbor.
So many people want the world to be “black & white” when it comes to human rights. Or when it comes to choosing “their” side.
America is simply a better place than any where else. Close our borders and protect them. And let the rest of the world figure out what we had to learn, over the last 400 years.
I’m glad jennifer has learned something that was published on TTAG also years ago. That private american citizens sent their guns to the british. Who would later throw them in the river to rust, once the german threat was destroyed.
But there are new readers here on TTAG. So it’s important that this history keeps getting republished, so new gun owners can learn.
Yeah I don’t care what Taurus’s Brazilian president supports. Their gats are merely tools to me. I care about America & specifically ILLANNOY. And I sure hope we never bail out Britain! Or officially support a “2 state solution”.
You do know that US policy for decades has been to support a two-state solution? And that Zhou BaiDeng voiced support for that solution as recently as January 24?
Maybe if the jewish state of israel figures out that if they want peace??? Then they need to prepare for war.
When they do that, then perhaps they will have peace. But not right now.
Because they have been completely unprepared.
gun control and private gun ownership has flip-flopped back and forth in Brazil of late..crime is a real problem down there….
I hope they change for the better.
3rd attempt to post in 2 days
quote———–Whatever your feelings about Ukraine, one thing’s clear, the argument for strict gun control should be dead in that country. People there did their best to prepare for an invasion, but people who didn’t already have a firearm struggled to train and prepare to fight using wooden guns.———-quote
With all due respect your thinking is flawed. One of the main criticisms of Russia in this war is that they were literally snatching draftees off of the Moscow streets and giving them 10 minutes to fire a couple of live rounds out of their AK47’s and then sending them to be slaughtered as cannon fodder.
Now in comparison the same would happen to Ukrainian Citizens who tried to resist a Russian invasion without first getting proper military training (which by the way they do get). The glorification of the American “Minute Man” is and was a total myth. The U.S. did not win its revolution with a bunch of untrained Hillbillies but won because of the professionally trained and equipped French Army and Navy. George Washington was so incompetent he had to hire an old has been alcoholic German General to attempt to train his ill-equipped volunteers.
Civilian gun control has everything to do with keeping its citizens safe from criminals and maniacs and nothing to do with the defense of their country. That is as true today as it was in Colonial times, which by the way had numerous gun control laws including the banning of carrying weapons and even keeping a gun loaded in their home.
I might also remind people that civilian firearms are many times not of the same caliber as military weapons so what good would a shotgun or .22 rifle have done the Ukrainian civilians? Many nations even ban the civilian ownership of weapons of military caliber.
DUNDERHEAD. Nice try at rewriting history, again? The fact is that it was Lord Cornwallis who surrendered to Gen George Washington at Yorktown. The Continental Army was hardly a group of “Minute Men”. The fact is that the French did augment the Continental Army and it was George Washington who was in COMMAND of both forces. That old alcoholic German General, Baron vonSteuben was pretty damn good at whipping out men into shape.
“Civilian gun control”? For your edification for the 100th time, “Civilian gun control” does NOTHING to “Keep its citizens safe from criminals and maniacs,” and has plenty to do with this thing we call self defense, much I am sure to your chagrin. The American colonies didn’t have gun control laws, except for restrictions on slaves. However, gun control legislation in the United States began in the 1700s, when white people prohibited Black people from purchasing or using guns. Sounds like racism to me. In other words, lefty, you are lying right through your eye teeth.
And for your further edification, we don’t give a rat’s behind about what other “nations” do. Get that trough your think head.
I have a sneaky suspicion you are not even an American.
“largely not returned to the United States after the war ended.”
Mostly dumped in the ocean. The Brits decided that they did not approve of civilian arm ownership, and chose to destroy rather than return them.
The folks involved in the initial collection and transport were still smoking hot about it 25 years later.
“Next time, just let them learn German.”
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