The Atlantic Supports...Assault Rifles?

AK-47s are the new hotness.

It’s hard to know what we’re supposed to believe lately. I mean, COVID seems to be a non-issue since the masks were off (literally at least) during the recent State of the Union address by President Biden. During said speech he said we should ‘not de-fund the police but fund the police.’

The Germans might be using fossil fuels and nuclear again. It’s suddenly OK to say things like ‘our thoughts and prayers are with the Ukraine.’ And the awfully nice Canadians turned out to be really nasty when it came to suppressing dissent. (Pass me a donut, eh? And rough up those pesky protesters, Dudley Do-Right!)

But I was well and truly shocked when I read the following bit from the Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/finlands-model-resisting-russian-aggression/623334/

I encourage you to look it over. It’s a short piece about how to create effective civilian resistance to invaders. It discusses the way the Finns demoralized and ultimately stopped the Soviet advance in the Winter war of 1939. For a little more on that read about Simo Haya, the ‘humble’ Finnish sniper who reportedly sent some 500 Soviet soldiers to the Great Workers’ Paradise in the sky.

https://www.simohayha.com/

Now, I’ve always enjoyed the Atlantic and was privileged to have two articles concerning the pandemic printed there in the last couple of years. (Shameless plug…https://www.theatlantic.com/author/edwin-leap/)

While I recall the more centrist, literary Atlantic that I read in college and later, I know the political and cultural orientation of that august publication today. So when I saw a piece suggesting that an armed populace might be beneficial? I was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised. As soon as I picked myself up from my swoon I read the article. (Full disclosure, the author, Graeme Wood, makes the point that it would be most effective in conjunction with a professional military force.)

Actually, I’ve seen this idea before the Ukraine crisis. I noticed a bit of a shift before-hand as elites in LA and other cities started seeking out armed security and personal firearms due to alarming increases in violence. But the momentum really grew as people on the liberal to progressive side of things started to praise not only the brave Ukrainians in their struggle against Russian invasion but also the decision to hand out military rifles like so much Halloween candy.

One one level, the sentiment isn’t surprising. Americans traditionally don’t like bullies and certainly feel sympathy towards the underdog. But this is interesting. Especially in light of the fact that for as long as I can remember, the media, the academy, the entertainment world and the cultural/political elite generally have been adamant that nobody but nobody needs a military styled weapon. (I will not use the term ‘assault rifle,’ although that is in fact what the Ukrainian people are now toting about, as they are capable of fully-automatic fire. We in America can’t have those; besides, we left a gazillion or so behind in Afghanistan.)

This piece in the Atlantic rightly (in my mind) points out that a rifle is fine but training before-hand is tremendously important. This is true no only for the sake of safety but for the sake of effectiveness.

What the author does not acknowledge is that we Americans have been on board with this from the start. We have, for centuries, taken it upon ourselves to be trained. Many have received that training in the armed forces. Others have simply learned from their parents or friends. Many more have learned from private firearms instructors.

Gun ownership has been growing at a steady clip for quite some time and new gun ownership has been meteoric following both the riots of 2020 and the uncertainties of the pandemic. https://www.dailywire.com/news/survey-3-2-million-new-gun-owners-in-first-half-of-2021

American gun owners frequently own many firearms. And a lot of ammunition. Not only so, they tend to buy both guns and ammunition often, even when they already have what anyone else might consider ‘enough’ guns. (By which many folks mean one or more.) Americans tend to practice with and enjoy those firearms. Which means that they are often quite comfortable and competent with them.

Whether their weapons are semi-automatic rifles, assorted pistols and revolvers or shotguns, Americans are a well-armed group and no stranger to the feel of a firearm. Unlike, say, a Ukrainian citizen who has never really spent any time on the range. Until, of course, Russian soldiers showed up.

Europeans long ago seemed to decide that such a thing, a populace armed and trained, was an anachronism. I suspect they might be reconsidering that sentiment now that Russia may be moving into the neighborhood.

Nevertheless, one could say that we in the US have, officially or not, a ‘well-organized militia.’ While we are unlikely to ever face an invading force on our shores, strange things happen in the world. Civil unrest, disasters and nascent tyranny are always on the horizon. (Are we not constantly told that the Fascists are ready to take over?) As such, martial spirit and martial skills have value in securing a free nation.

I fear for the Ukrainians. And I fear for the Russians. I suspect that where war really happens, on the ground with men and women fighting and killing one another, nobody really wants to be there. It has always been such, if my reading and comprehension of history are correct. Doubtless everyone would much rather be back at the club, knocking back a few drinks and flirting.

It is easy to glorify all of this. We Americans love our militia and our guns. I’m certainly not throwing stones in a glass house; I’ve handled and owned firearms since childhood. But we do forget what blood and death looks like since the last war on our shores ended in 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse. I am, in a way, fortunate. I am regularly reminded of how death looks, feels and sounds because of my work. This is a dark gift, a ‘memento mori.’ And as I grow older, I dislike even fictional, movie violence more and more. So much is gratuitous and leaves out the screams of loved ones and the holes left in families even when bad guys ‘get their due.’

We free people in our safe country tend to treat wars like some bloody sporting event, thanks to Twitter, You-Tube, Instagram and all of the other things that allow us to watch misery and eat pizza without experiencing all of it first-hand.

But on the other hand it may just be that a nation with a bunch of firearms well-used, sighted-in, cleaned, lubricated, stocked up with ammunition and known to the hands of their owners are a greater deterrent to violence and tyranny than we ever imagined. Just as most firearms used in self-defense are never fired, maybe a nation with a whole lot of firearms just isn’t worth the trouble.

Hey, it’s not just me. I read it in the Atlantic.

PS May God end this war and comfort the wounded, the dying and the grieving on all sides. Amen.