Clinton, Guns, and Bombs

The Sound-Byte

President Clinton seems to spend more time rubbing shoulders with Hollywood types than with real soldiers, so he may not realize that much of what Hollywood portrays is not proper use of guns. With that said, here are a few pointers on firearm usage that President Clinton should consider applying to military engagements...

The Details

President Clinton is Commander in Chief, so he controls a lot of very big weapons. He has deployed these in more parts of the world than any other president outside of a declared war. However, since President Clinton never chose to serve in the armed forces, he did not learn proper firearm usage there.

Given President Clinton's inclination to support legislation that disarms law abiding citizens rather than supporting education (like NRA's Eddie Eagle program) and training in proper firearm usage, perhaps he is unaware of the protocols for using weapons that law abiding citizens follow when handling firearms. These protocols seem to be applicable to large weapons that the Commander in Chief controls as well.

Of course, state law regulates most aspects of the use of firearms. Washington DC, where President Clinton lives, has very different gun laws than Arizona, where I live. Perhaps President Clinton can learn a bit from considering the gun usage protocols in a state with a more successful program than Washington DC. In Arizona, an ordinary law-abiding citizen can obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon by undergoing a training course and demonstrating competency in firearm handling. This is not possible in Washington DC. The violent crime rate in places like Washington DC is much higher than in Arizona, and in Arizona no licensed citizen has ever used a gun inappropriately.

Perhaps President Clinton could also learn a thing or two about how citizens can handle firearms safely and effectively by considering the low crime rate found in Switzerland, where a large portion of the population is armed. Switzerland is also considered by most to be the archetype of a 'peaceful' nation.

Guns, bombs, and missiles are all deadly force. Use them only when all other means for resolving the conflict have failed. Don't ever forget that walking away can resolve many conflicts.
Make sure that lesser means have failed before escalating. Make sure that discussions have failed before preempting them with deadly force. Once the shooting has started, it's hard to go back to talking. Likewise, in the case of gun-control legislation, enforce the existing laws before escalating with further legislation.
If you've got it, don't flaunt it. Walk softly when you are armed. Don't strut around like you own the world. This way you won't draw fire from every two-bit gang-banger and petty dictator in the neighborhood.
If you point it, be prepared to shoot it. Don't bluff. You might not like the consequences if your opponent calls your bluff. Is that what happened in Yugoslavia?
Never brandish a weapon. Pointing a gun at someone is considered to be an act of aggression and gives them cause to shoot you dead.
Make sure you understand the dynamics of the situation before introducing deadly weapons. It seems like the Clinton administration has a poor track record on this score. Waco and Yugoslavia come to mind as two of the more glaring failures to understand the dynamics before starting the shooting.
Never fire a warning shot. Deadly force must never be used unless someone is in immediate mortal danger. That means you don't use cruise missiles to 'warn' a foreign power to behave.
Shoot to stop a deadly threat, and only if killing your opponent is an acceptable outcome. Deadly force is justified only in a shoot or be killed situation. If you can afford to pick and choose targets to avoid hitting objects d'art, you are not yet in a shoot or be killed situation. If you can walk away, you are not in a shoot or be killed situation.
Know your target. Be sure that you are shooting at a deadly threat. Don't bomb pharmaceutical plants until you have incontrovertible evidence that they constitute a deadly threat.
Be sure of your line of fire and know your backstop. Be sure that if you miss your target that you won't hit innocent noncombatants. This is especially true if you suspect that hostages might be involved. If you shoot hostages or bystanders, it is your fault, not your target's. Hasn't the Clinton administration learned anything since Waco?
Choose the right weapon for the job. Air power is insufficient against an entrenched guerilla force defending their home turf. A cruise missile is overkill if you want to distract people's attention from allegations of rape and molestation, China stealing military technology on your watch, or the contributions that Communist China made to the Clinton-Gore campaign.
Keep your gun clean and well-oiled. They are safer that way. Fully fund military hardware maintenance.
Practice regularly. You are safer that way. Fully fund military training exercises.
Keep your powder dry. Don't allow your munitions to deteriorate. You don't want to get into a situation where you have drawn fire, but your weapons don't work.
Learn from the experience of others. Study case histories to learn from the successes and failures of previous situations where citizens or presidents used deadly force. Of partiticular note are A Republic, Not an Empire by Patrick J. Buchanan. The Best Defense by Robert A. Waters, Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories edited by John Denson, and The Ayoob Files. Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.

Above all, discretion is the better part of valor. Just because you made a mistake and created a bad situation, doesn't mean that you have to escalate to use all necessary force to overpower the situation. Real leaders know how to say they have made a mistake, and then do the honorable thing by making it right.

For Further Information Check Out These Books

Below we list a number of books that relate to foreign policy, gun laws and handling firearms. If you know of any other relevant books in print, please let us know.


	A Republic Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny Patrick J. Buchanan America should walk softly and carry a big stick, and only engage military threats to our own nation.

	Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories John Denson U.S. military involvements from the Civil War Between the States to the present have lead to a strengthening of centralized Federal authority and programs. The author argues that it is time for the United States to return to the philosophical vision of the 'Old Right': limited government and a retreat from the 'New World Order'.

	The Gun Control Debate: You Decide Lee Nisbet Presents both sides of the gun-control versus right to keep and bear arms debate.

	For the Defense of Themselves and the State: The Original Intent and Judicial Interpretation of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Clayton E. Cramer, Preston K. Covey A scholarly examination of both the original intent of the writers and ratifiers of the Second Amendment and of the subsequently developed case history in the court system.

	To Keep and Bear Arms; The Origins of an Anglo-American Right Joyce Lee Malcolm Traces the development of the American right to keep and bear arms as embodied in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution from the body of English Common Law having its origin in the seventeenth century.

	Origin of the Second Amendment: A Documentary History of the Bill of Rights in Commentaries on Liberty, Free Government and an Armed Populace 1787-1792 David E. Young A compilation of original sources documenting the public discussion surrounding the ratification of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Clearly establishes the right to keep and bear arms as an individual right intended as a last resort defense against foreign attackers and domestic despotism.

	Gun Control and the Constitution: Sources and Explorations on the Second Amendment Robert J. Cottrol Reprints of a variety of original sources and commentaries, both from the point of view of the right to keep and bear arms and from the point of view of gun-control advocates. Includes a discussion of the intent of the Fourteenth Amendment in assuring the right to keep and bear arms to former slaves in the South.

	A Well Regulated Militia; The Battle over Gun Control William Weir Presents both sides of the debate over the right to keep and bear arms versus gun control.

	The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding Eugene W. Hickok.Jr The Bill of Rights has been subjected to considerable interpretive revision by the Supreme Court. This is demonstrated by considering the original meaning of the Bill of Rights and the the history, theory, and practice underlying the Bill of Rights.

	Freedmen, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Right to Bear Arms, 1866-1876 Stephen P. Halbrook Examines the 14th Amendment as it relates to the right of the former slaves to carry arms.

	Mounting Threat of Home Intruders: Weighing the Moral Option of Armed Self-Defense Brendan F. J. Furnish, Dwight H. Small After establishing the need for self defense, the authors turn to the ethical and moral considerations regarding the use of deadly force in the Judeo-Christian traditions. In conclusion they briefly examine the social policy issues that arise out of this study.

	Origins and Development of the Second Amendment : A SourceBook David T. Hardy A short but comprehensive treatment of the history of the American right to keep and bear arms, from medieval England to the present.

	Rights of Gun Owners: A Second Amendment Foundation Handbook Alan M. Gottlieb, Sharon Ahern, Second Amendment Foundation

	A Right to Bear Arms: State and Federal Bills of Rights and Constitutional Guarantees Stephen P. Halbrook Explores the basis of the United States Constitution's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, in terms of other documents contemporaneous to the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

	Gun Rights Fact Book Alan M. Gottlieb A handy pocket reference for those who would defend the American right to keep and bear arms.

	In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action Ellen Alderman, Caroline Kennedy Examines the freedoms expressed in the Bill of Rights, their legal and historical significance, and illustrates with stories of how lives have been affected by such issues as the death penalty, gun control and the right to privacy.

	More Guns Less Crime : Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws John R. Lott Economics professor presents statistical data that contradicts the claims of firearm-control advocacy groups. Possession of guns by law-abiding citizens is shown to reduce crime. Claims that firearm possession is more dangerous to family and friends than disarmament are shown to be fallacious. Book was featured on KFYI Barry Young show May 6, 1998.

	Targeting Guns : Firearms and Their Control Gary Kleck

	That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right Stephen P. Halbrook Explores the history of the right to keep and bear arms.

	Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality in World War II Stephen P. Halbrook Armed militia of Switzerland contributed to security in World War II

	The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies David B. Kopel Compares gun control laws in different countries, and concludes that the best approach in the United States is to increase gun education.

	Guns, Crime and Freedom Wayne R. LaPierre, Tom Clancy National Rifle Association leader gives an accessible discussion of why the right to keep and bear arms is important to Americans, and counters the arguments of those who would deny Americans their Second Amendment rights.

	Guns; Who Should Have Them? David B. Kopel

	Tyranny of Gun Control Jacob G. Hornberger, Richard M. Ebeling The reasons why the founding fathers wrote the right to keep and bear arms into the Bill of Rights, and what has happened to those who would disarm in pursuit of peace. The hidden agenda of gun control advocates.

	Under Fire; The NRA and the Battle for Gun Control, Expanded Edition Osha Gray Davidson A gun control advocate finds fault with the National Rifle Association.

	The Changing Politics of Gun Control John M. Bruce, Clyde Wilcox These essays explore how Congress, the courts, the president, and individual states are currently addressing the issue of gun control. The essays include profiles and examinations of relevant interest groups, the gun control coalition, recent Supreme Court decisions, and public opinion surveys.

	The Politics of Gun Control, Second Edition Robert J. Spitzer A wide-ranging overview of the American gun culture, the history and meaning of the Second Amendment, the criminological consequences of guns, and the policy-making roles of Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, interest groups, public opinion, and the political parties.

	The Gun Grabbers: Who They Are, how They Operate Where They Get Their Money Alan M. Gottlieb

	Self Control; Not Gun Control J. Neil Schulman, J. Neil Shulman

	Gun-Proof Your Children / Handgun Primer Massad F. Ayoob Two small books in one. A noted law enforcement tells how he protects his own children from guns, and gives advice to armed citizens on handling firearms.

	The Best Defense : True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm Robert A. Waters

	Safe, Not Sorry: Keeping Yourself and Your Family Safe in a Violent Age Tanya K. Metaksa A cornucopia of practical advice on how to protect yourself and your family, including pro-active as well as defensive measures every family should consider. The pros and cons of personal firearms, and how to use them legally.

	In the Gravest Extreme : The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection Massad F. Ayoob

	Armed and Female Paxton Quigley A how-to book for women who want to safely use a gun for self-defense.

	The Ayoob Files: The Book Massad F. Ayoob

	Stopping Power; Why 70 Million Americans Own Guns J. Neil Schulman, Don B. Kates.Jr A defense of the Second Amendment right to Keep and Bear Arms that debunks the arguments of the gun-control crowd with facts, statistics, and logic.

	Gun Laws of America: Every Federal Gun Law on the Books, with Plain English Summaries, Third Edition Alan Korwin, Michael P. Anthony A word-for-word copy of every Federal Gun law on the books, with plain English summaries. Written by noted Arizona author Alan Korwin and Attorney Michael P. Anthony.

	The Virginia Gun Owner's Guide Alan Korwin, Steve Maniscalco, Gregg Myers, Ralph Richardson

	Arizona Gun Owner's Guide Alan Korwin The book every gun owner in Arizona should read. Contains every Arizona gun law, word for word and translated into plain English. Includes information on Arizona's concealed carry laws.

	The California Gun Owner's Guide Georgene Lockwood, Alan Korwin The book every gun owner in California should read. Contains every California gun law, word for word and translated into plain English.

	The Florida Gun Owner's Guide Donna Lea Hawley, Alan Korwin The book every gun owner in Florida should read. Contains every Florida gun law, word for word and translated into plain English. Includes information on Florida's concealed carry laws.

	The Texas Gun Owner's Guide; Who Can Bear Arms?: Where Are Guns Forbidden?: When Can You Shoot to Kill? Alan Korwin, Georgene Muller Lockwood The book every gun owner in Texas should read. Contains every Texas gun law, word for word and translated into plain English. Approved by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety for use in concealed handgun license training.

	In the Line of Fire: Youths, Guns, and Violence in Urban America Joseph F. Sheley, James D. Wright Describes the means and methods of gun-related violence among urban youth, using data collected from juvenile male inmates and male students in inner-city high schools. The book concludes by challenging some stereotypes, and urging a policy aimed at reducing the motivation for gun possession by youth, rather than simply attempting to remove guns from their hands.

	Under the gun: Weapons, Crime and Violence in America James D. Wright, Peter H. Rossi, Kathleen Daly A sociological survey of a variety of gun ownership and usage patterns.

	Armed and Considered Dangerous : A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms, Expanded Edition James D. Wright, Peter H. Rossi A sociological study of the criminals who utilize guns.

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Last updated: February 22, 2000; Version: 1.3