I believe that fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic are rather overblown. It should be enough to cancel some mass gatherings, wash our hands diligently, keep calm, and carry on.
Still, the Second Amendment certainly helps add confidence to our calm, diminishing any added criminal threats as a consequence.
What if a large share of our police forces become incapacitated or otherwise isolated from duty? In such a scenario, combined with emboldened criminals, police response times could extend into multiple hours — if officers arrive at all. You can bet that the moment such a shortage of officers became clear would be the moment that criminals would spur into opportunistic action. Such was the case in London in August 2011. Over three days, mass riots led to a breakdown of law and order. Homeowners and members of the public were robbed with near impunity.
The Second Amendment means this would not happen in the United States. The mere possibility that potential victims are armed would force criminals to think twice — as it already does. Were the Left to have its way, this safety net for the rule of law would disappear.
The relatively recent Supreme Court decisions of District of Columbia v. Heller and Chicago v. McDonald ensured that homeowners can own guns and at least keep them in the home. Those rulings, angrily disparaged by the Left, did not usher in a new era of higher gun crime and have, in fact, guaranteed that homeowners have protection in emergencies. This is a particularly important issue for the elderly and others who might lack physical strength.
