As a few of you might have noticed, I took a few days off and took the family to Colonial Williamsburg.
For those living elsewhere, Williamsburg was the former capitol of VA, and the oldest part has been restored by the Rockefeller Foundation and maintained as living history. There, it's always 1774, and actor docents portraying people of the times including Patrick Henry and T. Jefferson walk the streets and haunt the buildings, telling folks how it was. It's a treat for the whole family.
And it's educational as heck. I'll illustrate....
In 1774, the Royal Governor was a Lord Dinmore, who lived in a grand house called the Palace. He kept the walls covered with swords, pistols and muskets, not trusting the armory system in times of crisis. IOW, he had lots of weapons and tons of authority.
The people's arms and ammunition were kept in the Magazine, an octagonal building 1/4 mile from the Palace. These belonged to the community and were issued at need, most freeborn folks had arms but the muskets were of standard caliber and thus ammo was interchangeable. Besides, if Father was off fighting Indians(as happened in 1774), Mother and children needed arms to protect them at home. The supplies in the Magazine included 34 TONS of powder, several cannon, and hundreds of muskets.
Since there was growing sentiment in Wiliamsburg sympathizing with Boston's plight under the blockade instituted as punishment for the Tea Party, Lord Dinmore ( A personal friend of George Washington's) set out to disarm the town and area.
Under cover of darkness, Royal Marines tried to remove the arms and powder from the Magazine.Fortunately, they were spotted,an alarm sounded,the militia assembled (all men from 16 to 60 were in it) and the Marines retreated with no shots fired.
And, the crowd that repelled the King's Troops used their personal firearms to protect their militia supplies, and their liberty. The supplies were moved to another,secret location, and events at Concord and Lexington that same week helped send Lord Dinmore fleeing to England posthaste.
In modern times, our shotguns are the spiritual descendants of the fowling piece over the fireplace, as well as the technological descendants thereof. And we are the same, descendants of those who siezed their arms to defend themselves and Liberty.
And those who forget they are our elected public servants and believe themselves to be the rightful rulers of all would like to ape Lord Dinmore and remove our abilities to resist what they deem proper for us to have. Before people can be controlled by any group or government, they HAVE to be disarmed. Once they are disarmed, they have to depend on the government for protection.
Find a survivor of the Holocaust and ask them how well that works....
Keep this in mind next time someone mentions "Sensible Gun Laws"....
For those living elsewhere, Williamsburg was the former capitol of VA, and the oldest part has been restored by the Rockefeller Foundation and maintained as living history. There, it's always 1774, and actor docents portraying people of the times including Patrick Henry and T. Jefferson walk the streets and haunt the buildings, telling folks how it was. It's a treat for the whole family.
And it's educational as heck. I'll illustrate....
In 1774, the Royal Governor was a Lord Dinmore, who lived in a grand house called the Palace. He kept the walls covered with swords, pistols and muskets, not trusting the armory system in times of crisis. IOW, he had lots of weapons and tons of authority.
The people's arms and ammunition were kept in the Magazine, an octagonal building 1/4 mile from the Palace. These belonged to the community and were issued at need, most freeborn folks had arms but the muskets were of standard caliber and thus ammo was interchangeable. Besides, if Father was off fighting Indians(as happened in 1774), Mother and children needed arms to protect them at home. The supplies in the Magazine included 34 TONS of powder, several cannon, and hundreds of muskets.
Since there was growing sentiment in Wiliamsburg sympathizing with Boston's plight under the blockade instituted as punishment for the Tea Party, Lord Dinmore ( A personal friend of George Washington's) set out to disarm the town and area.
Under cover of darkness, Royal Marines tried to remove the arms and powder from the Magazine.Fortunately, they were spotted,an alarm sounded,the militia assembled (all men from 16 to 60 were in it) and the Marines retreated with no shots fired.
And, the crowd that repelled the King's Troops used their personal firearms to protect their militia supplies, and their liberty. The supplies were moved to another,secret location, and events at Concord and Lexington that same week helped send Lord Dinmore fleeing to England posthaste.
In modern times, our shotguns are the spiritual descendants of the fowling piece over the fireplace, as well as the technological descendants thereof. And we are the same, descendants of those who siezed their arms to defend themselves and Liberty.
And those who forget they are our elected public servants and believe themselves to be the rightful rulers of all would like to ape Lord Dinmore and remove our abilities to resist what they deem proper for us to have. Before people can be controlled by any group or government, they HAVE to be disarmed. Once they are disarmed, they have to depend on the government for protection.
Find a survivor of the Holocaust and ask them how well that works....
Keep this in mind next time someone mentions "Sensible Gun Laws"....
. too hot & humid for this ohio boy, but it was interesting. 
