Jews for the Preservation for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership: When Will You Take Up Arms Against the U.S. Government?

I like Aron Zelman. The head of Jews for the Preservation for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) is dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He’s also convinced that the U.S. government is dedicated to eliminating American citizens’ ability to defend themselves with firearms and imposing tyranny, and couldn’t give a damn about taxpayers’ happiness. On the positive side, Zelman ‘s JPFO is like the proverbial canary in a coal mine, pointing out threats to gun ownership long before the mainstream media or gun rights groups “get it.” On the negative side, Zelman’s zealotry scares people who don’t share or care about his obsession with gun rights. The JPFO have added more fuel to that fire with their post “What is your line in the sand?” . . .

Here are the JPFO’s 15 questions for potential (aspiring?) armed insurrectionists:

What will provoke you to use the Second Amendment to rebel against a government gone bad?

Will it be …………

1) – The closing of the banks and freezing your money?

2) – How about Martial law?

3) – Cutting Social Security and Medicare payments by 25-50%?

4) – Food shortages?

5) – Losing your home?

6) – Brutality by government agents against you and your family?

7) – Another tax increase?

8 – Fraudulent elections?

9) – You realize you have nothing to lose?

10) – U N small arms treaty becomes law in America

11) – Your religion is attacked by government.

12) – Government determines your home is to be shared with a homeless person(s)

13) – The IRS audits you due to political activism.

14) – Public schools instruct your children to report on your private life.

15) – Or ………… Tell us what your line in the sand is, and also how you might plan to respond?

Since the rise of the Tea Party, a cadre of left-leaning political pundits have been doing their level best to associate the conservative movement with disenfranchised gun nuts and, thus, domestic terrorism. TTAG has noticed a distinct drop-off in this Huffington and puffington. 

This list ought to reinvigorate that effort. After all, the JPFO’s “trip wires” are distinctly mild-mannered. Tax increases? Fraudulent elections? Like that never happens? You realize you have nothing to lose? What does THAT mean?

This list is a long way from “the government removes your right to own property or attend the school of your choice or enter into specified professions or rounds up you or your family and sends you or your family to a forced labor or concentration camp. [NB: My father was a Holocaust survivor and American patriot.]”

Again, the “r” word is very, very strong stuff when you’re talking to people about guns. Voter rebellion is one thing. Armed rebellion quite another. For example, Richard Nixon’s administration used the IRS audits to harass its “enemies.” Should those political targets have used lethal force in response?

Still, is that a reason not to ask the question? Or a reason the JPFO should ask it?