Thus, even though men are evil, they also fear death. Moreover, they fear where they will go when they die. For this simple reason alone, the Second Amendment secures the rest of the rights that the LORD God gave us. It is only when men do not see any prospect of dying that they become bold in their wickedness, and their willingness to harm their fellow man. This is also the reason the death penalty is effective in deterring crime as well.

The problem today is that we in America are a society in which the vast majority of individuals believe that they are inherently good, and that only a few “bad apples” cause the problems we have. This kind of thinking is not scriptural, rather it comes straight out of humanist doctrine and teaching. In fact, the idea that man can become good by his own efforts is a central part of the philosophy of Communism and the striving to create the “new communist man.”

The outworking of this kind of thinking is the belief that we can somehow create a utopian society if only we can get rid of the implements of violence. Thus, the blame is laid upon “the gun” when guns are used in the commission of a crime, instead of upon the person who wilfully chose to commit the crime. (After all, that would be to tacitly admit that we are all inherently given to evil.) It is also the driving force behind the idea that individuals in government are somehow better than the “common man” and that they are more enlightened and would never oppress their fellow citizens. After all, aren’t they elevated above the rest of us?