I now present a more philosophical argument in favor of the Second Amendment from a left-wing perspective. For the purpose of this argument, we assume that the ideal government is one that best serves the interests of its citizens and that humans have a natural right of self-determination. These are fairly central tenets in liberal philosophy, though perhaps less so in socialist and anarchist philosophies. As I, like many of you, watched Trump’s ascent to power and were horrified on election night that he could win the Presidency, it became ever more apparent how necessary the Second Amendment is in modern America. As a Democrat I have suffered through Trump’s campaigns of disinformation, wrongful acquittal, purging of impeachment witnesses, and have seen nothing but a fascist tide seeping into the White House. As I hear Trump supporters advocate his appointment for a third term and threatening violence against liberals should he fail to be reelected, I simply cannot understand how the Democratic Party can be so vehemently opposed to the very right that should safeguard us from precisely these circumstances. The Second Amendment exists not, as some liberals claim, to protect the rights of Americans to shoot for sport and for hunting, but rather to protect the rights of Americans to self-govern. As the Declaration of Independence states: “When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government.” I do not claim to suppose that the current administration has reached a level of tyranny worthy of violent replacement. Rather, I believe there is still time for the government to be changed through political means. But it is undeniable that a tide of fascism seems to be coming in, and it threatens to overwhelm the levees of democracy and inundate the American people. The Second Amendment exists for the precise purpose of resisting such a current. Should the government become tyrannical, and fail to serve the interests of the people it represents, it is the duty of the citizens of America to remove such a government and replace it. Had the Jews in Germany been armed, Hitler’s genocide would have been far more difficult, if not impossible. 2,000 armed Poles in Warsaw were able to hold off the Nazis, deep within their territory, for almost a month. Imagine what could have occurred if even a fraction of the 17 million victims of the Holocaust had been armed. Stalin’s atrocities, the Cambodian killing fields, China’s present day Uyghur genocide, history teaches us that the tendency of power is towards corruption and tyranny. It is precisely for this reason that the Second Amendment exists, to provide the citizens a method of resisting such a government. Under the current administration, which seems to demonstrate such a trend towards tyranny, gun rights are more important than ever.