{"id":99195,"date":"2024-01-10T19:27:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T01:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=99195"},"modified":"2024-01-10T19:27:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T01:27:25","slug":"99195","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=99195","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CRUCIAL 2A INFO: What Do Americans Actually &quot;USE&quot; Guns For?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rkfA8iOOtkY\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment protects arms in common use for lawful purposes. But what does the phrase \u201cin common use for lawful purposes\u201d actually mean?<\/p>\n<p>The anti-gunners want to define \u201cin common use\u201d very narrowly to mean only the actual firing of a gun in self-defense. They argue that because firearms are rarely fired in self-defense, they aren\u2019t \u201cin common use\u201d and, thus, can be banned. That\u2019s a trap and one we must work hard to avoid falling into. Firearms are prolific in America and are commonly used every day for countless lawful purposes beyond the actual firing of a gun in self-defense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Firearms Are \u201cUsed\u201d To Deter Bad People From Doing Bad Things<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s begin with a very basic principle: the \u201cuse\u201d of a firearm extends beyond firing a gun in self-defense. In\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/supct\/pdf\/07-290P.ZO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uri=\"08d8369c73203d6bb90c579ffe8df339\">District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court held<\/a> that the Second Amendment protects \u201carms \u2018in common use at the time\u2019 for lawful purposes like self-defense.\u201d Self-defense is simply an illustration of a type of \u201clawful purpose\u201d; it is not the only lawful purpose of a firearm as the anti-gunners would like the lower courts to find.<\/p>\n<p>But even in the self-defense arena, firearms are commonly used as a deterrent (i.e., brandishing) without being fired. In the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deliverypdf.ssrn.com\/delivery.php?ID=422073103008120083106118092073000088050013055019019054113026091123111084098126127089026006024040028056016078098112007067125116061043059044028064102105101100105117015025022043091065002002094099115093078082002095108072075078077121125091117125024013022074&amp;EXT=pdf&amp;INDEX=TRUE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uri=\"f007c890b6abadb935e2221256667a13\">2021 National Firearms Survey,<\/a>\u00a0Professor William English of Georgetown University found that in 81.9% of defensive gun uses, the gun is not fired.<\/p>\n<p>A police officer patrolling Times Square may never fire his handgun at a perpetrator, but its mere presence helps ward off potential criminal activity. The same can be said for the firearm that rests on your nightstand, which acts to deter a criminal from attempting to burglarize your home.<\/p>\n<p>Think of a firearm like a fire extinguisher. A fire extinguisher is in \u201cuse\u201d merely by being present in the home. A homeowner does not need to depress the handle of a fire extinguisher to put out a grease fire to \u201cuse\u201d a fire extinguisher. Similarly, you would never argue that a life insurance policy isn\u2019t in \u201cuse\u201d because the insured is still living. Or that a homeowner insurance policy was not being used because no claim for a loss had yet been submitted. Americans purchase firearms, fire extinguishers, and insurance policies for the same reason \u2013 as a means of protection just in case. Contrary to the arguments advanced by the anti-gunners, a firearm is being \u201cused\u201d for self-defense even when it has never been fired.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-7\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1681151478485-0\" data-google-query-id=\"CPaTtemW1IMDFWjMKAUdVvMEJw\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/22702991301\/Ammoland\/AL_In-Content_3_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thus, the first item we can add to the list of lawful purposes for which Americans use their guns is the two-sided coin of self-defense: either firing in self-defense or merely keeping (or brandishing if needed) a gun as a deterrent to prevent against future harm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Firearms Are \u201cUsed\u201d For Hunting, To Prevent Animal Attacks, And for Pest Control<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The \u201cuse\u201d of firearms is not restricted to self-defense against violent criminals intending to do us harm. Firearms are also used for hunting, for example. Whether it\u2019s big game, small game, varmints, birds, trophies, or simply sustenance, hunting is both a sport and a valuable means of obtaining sustenance engaged in by millions of Americans across the country. And hunters use a wide variety of firearms. Whether it\u2019s a modern firearm such as an AR-15, a 30-06 Springfield, or an older firearm such as a black powder musket, hunters employ many different types of guns.<\/p>\n<p>Another important lawful use of firearms concerning hunting is the prevention of animal attacks. I have written more comprehensively\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/deliverypdf.ssrn.com\/delivery.php?ID=339119017068084105072002093120109006099039071063064018087113119025126093088102004098102118004001052027117106105125000003123079109094092045027121071124088068125117087070047024085094008116126124091120079071090019114108013093015107116023094097127088118086&amp;EXT=pdf&amp;INDEX=TRUE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uri=\"b5c0fec21c99d9546233483c938bb96b\">about this elsewhere,<\/a>\u00a0but the danger of animal attacks was top of mind for our Founding Fathers who drafted the Second Amendment. This is especially important for people who live in remote places in the American West where wild, dangerous animals roam free.<\/p>\n<p>Relatedly, many American gun owners today use their firearms for pest control: pest control not only preserves one\u2019s land and livestock, but it may also become necessary to prevent a violent attack. Whether it\u2019s coyotes, feral hogs, prairie dogs, rats, groundhogs, or crows, pest control can come in many forms. Packs of feral hogs demonstrate not just the necessity of semiautomatic weapons but large capacity magazines as well: feral hogs are extremely fast and can be overwhelming, and as a result, modern firearms and capacities are necessary to keep them under control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Firearms Are \u201cUsed\u201d For Sport In Competitions, To Train, And By Civilian Law Enforcement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shooting competitions have a long and storied history in American culture, and they are yet another way Americans lawfully use their firearms. Examples abound: the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC); the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), fast draw competitions, the Camp Perry National Matches, the Police Pistol Combat competitions, and the Civilian Marksmanship Program, to name a few. There are also competitions across the country for minors to acquaint them with firearms and their proper usage.<\/p>\n<p>Another use of firearms is firearm training. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has specifically\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/ca7\/14-3312\/14-3312-2017-01-18.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uri=\"96982aef94b20e831759b0eaa49827ac\">said in Ezell v. City of Chicago (2017)\u00a0<\/a>that the Second Amendment protects a right to train with firearms. Firearms training is another lawful use of firearms in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Relatedly, firearms are \u201cused\u201d by civilian law enforcement, which includes civilians who might be deputized into service for a variety of reasons. It\u2019s not unusual for citizens to sometimes be deputized as a reservists to help protect their town\u2014such deputization is necessary in wide-ranging areas with little police presence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>History and Craftsmanship<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Historical shooting activities are another use of firearms in the United States. There are many groups that engage in Revolutionary War and Civil War reenactments that use many types of historical firearms and replicas. We see an example of this every Sunday during the NFL season when the New England Patriots score a touchdown; the Patriots Militia fire their muskets at Gillette Stadium in their Revolutionary War garb.<\/p>\n<p>While some people are interested in history, others enjoy gunsmithing and craftsmanship. Americans engage in gunsmithing as a hobby or even professionally, and many others also like to make their own firearms, whether modern or historical. Sometimes, you can use weapon parts kits or even 3-D printing to accomplish those goals. There are also all sorts of experimentation and improvement that go on with firearms, such as designing new cartridges, chambers, or other things. People also customize their firearms and even use them as home d\u00e9cor above the mantle and throughout their homes.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to Second Amendment analysis, we must remember that firearms are commonly used by Americans for lawful purposes far beyond the rare occasion when someone fires a gun in self-defense. The anti-gunners are working hard to define \u201cin common use\u201d narrowly to further restrict our rights to keep and bear arms. So, next time you hear the phrase \u201cin common use,\u201d make sure to remember the myriad ways Americans use their firearms in the modern age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment protects arms in common use for lawful purposes. But what does the phrase \u201cin common use for lawful purposes\u201d actually mean? The anti-gunners want to define \u201cin common use\u201d very narrowly to mean only the actual firing of a gun in self-defense. They argue that because &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=99195\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rkba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99195"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99196,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99195\/revisions\/99196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}