Lessons From a U.S. Government Massacre

December 29, 2012 marked the 122nd Anniversary of the murder of 297 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
 These 297 people, in their winter camp, were murdered by federal agents and members of the 7th Cavalry who had come to confiscate their firearms “for their own safety and protection.” The slaughter began AFTER the majority of the Sioux had peacefully turned in their firearms. When the final round had flown, of the 297 dead or dying, two thirds (200) were women and children.

Around 40 members of the 7th Cavalry were killed, over half cut down by friendly fire from the Hotchkiss guns of their overzealous comrades-in-arms.  Twenty members of the 7th Cavalry were deemed “National Heros” and awarded the Medal of Honor for their acts of cowardice.

We do not hear of Wounded Knee today.  It is not mentioned in our history classes or books.  What little does exist about Wounded Knee is normally the sanitized “Official Government Explanation” or the historically and factually inaccurate depictions of the events leading up to the massacre on the movie screen.

Wounded Knee was among the first federally backed gun confiscation attempts in United States history.  It ended in the senseless murder of 297 people.

Before you jump on the emotionally charged bandwagon for gun-control, take a moment to reflect on the real purpose of the Second Amendment -- The right of the people to take up arms in defense of themselves, their families, and property in the face of invading armies or an oppressive government.  The argument that the Second Amendment only applies to hunting and target shooting is asinine.  When the United States Constitution was drafted “hunting” was an everyday chore carried out by men and women to put meat on the table each night, and “target shooting” was an unheard of concept -- musket balls were precious commodities in the wilds of early America, and were certainly not wasted “target shooting.”  The Second Amendment was written by people who fled oppressive and tyrannical regimes in Europe, and refers to the right of American citizens to be armed for defense purposes should such tyranny rise in the United States.

As time goes on the average citizen in the United States continues to lose personal freedom or “liberty.”  Far too many times unjust bills are passed and signed into law under the guise of “for your safety” or “for protection.”  The Patriot Act signed into law by G.W. Bush, then expanded and continued by Barack Obama is just one of many examples of American citizens being stripped of their rights and privacy for “safety.”  Now, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is on the table, and will, most likely now will be cut back and eventually taken away for “our safety.”

Before American citizens blindly accepts whatever new firearms legislation is about to be rolled out, they should stop and think about something for just one minute: 
Evil does exist in our world. It always has and always will. Throughout history evil people have committed evil acts.  In the Bible one of the first stories is that of Cain killing Abel.  We can not legislate “evil” into extinction. Good people will abide by the law, defective people will always find a way around it.

And another thought:  Evil exists all around us, but looking back at the historical record of the past 200 years across the globe, where have “evil” and “malevolence” most often been found?  By the hands of those with power -- governments.  The greatest human tragedies on record and the largest losses of innocent human life have been caused by governments.  Who do governments target? “Scapegoats” and “enemies” within their own borders . . . but only after they have been disarmed to the point where they are no longer a threat. Ask any Native American, and they will tell you it was inferior technology and lack of arms that contributed to their demise.  Ask any Armenian why it was so easy for the Turks to exterminate millions of them, and they will answer “We were disarmed before it happened.”  Ask any Jew what Hitler’s first step prior to the mass murders of the Holocaust was -- confiscation of firearms from the people.

Wounded Knee is a prime example of why the Second Amendment exists, and why we shouldn’t be rushed into surrendering our Right to Bear Arms.  Without the Second Amendment we have no means to defend ourselves and our families.