A Time To Lead

By Josh Kosnick

“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

This one sentence that is the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights has been the root cause of more arguments over the past 30 years than just about any other sentence. It is by far and away the most controversial right of any of our rights as American citizens, but it is also our most important right as American citizens if we want to remain free men and women.

Let’s take a moment to explore our history and how this sentence became an integral part of our Bill of Rights.

We won our independence from Britain in 1776. Brave men fought back against seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat a tyrannical government. This is the backdrop to which our constitution and subsequently our bill of rights were authored, heavily debated, and finally ratified as law in 1791.

Imagine for a moment coming off a bloody war in which you saw brothers, sons, and friends die right next to you. Then, you’re free…well sort of. You’re now 13 independent states all with different ideas on how you wish to operate. There wasn’t an elected President of the United States until 1789 when George Washington became our very first POTUS.

There is so much incredible history in this early time that I implore every reader (actually every U.S. citizen) to go back and explore this fascinating period of human history because I don’t have the space in these pages to get into it all.

What I do want to focus on is the perspective these men had and the leadership it took to guide our newly formed country forward. Great wisdom comes from perspective. Great leaders are wise, and that wisdom often comes from having to endure hard times.

It’s widely debated how many authors or contributors there were to these amendments, but one person is a constant in being the main contributor and that is the future President of the United States, James Madison. All of these historical figures that composed our constitution and bill of rights were deeply flawed men. Some of them were slave owners themselves that admitted to slavery being morally wrong but didn’t include the exclusion of owning other human beings in the bill of rights. Of course, that amendment (our XIII amendment) wasn’t added until after the Civil War was won by the North and included after the founders of our country were long buried in the ground in 1865.

They were flawed men, like you and I today, but armed with an incredibly profound perspective that was forged through blood, pain and anguish, and finally hope. Hope to live in a free country as free men and women. They knew that checks and balances were necessary to keep our states united and out from under the thumb of tyranny. Too much power in any one part of the government could cause another tyrannical uprising. The language used in these amendments is strong. There is plenty of room for interpretation and arguments by current generations, but also room for growth. They knew that technology would advance and were purposeful not to limit the rights of citizens as it did. The four words … “shall not be infringed” should echo into eternity if we are to remain free.

Fast forward to today …

“We need to realize that “we the people” are the power, but only when we can come together for the common good!”

A time where true leadership seems non-existent (at least in the political ranks). A time where our children are being used as political fodder and theatre every time some of them are murdered in cold blood. A time where we are marketed to 24/7. Mixed in with a lot of those marketing messages is propaganda flaring our already strong belief structures that have been building within us since birth. A time where technology in weaponry has advanced to the point where massive harm can be done in seconds. A time where common sense is not often common practice.

“Utopia (noun): an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.”

I think that the majority of people that oppose gun rights or the 2nd Amendment have a utopian outlook in a dystopian society. The problem with having a utopian outlook, in reality, is that we don’t live in a perfect world. In fact, far from it. Real evil exists! And it doesn’t come from another universe like Thanos in The Avengers. It comes in the form of human beings like you and me. Humans that were born innocent babies, but in growing up something went wrong. Be it, a lack of a parent(s) or bad parenting, abuse, alcohol, and drugs, or a miswiring of chemicals in the brain. I’m sure that there are many other reasons I missed, but you get the point. Evil exists in this world, it exists in humans that look like you and I, and until we start addressing the roots of our problems it’s not even a remote possibility for us to talk about utopia.

As a father to four young children, I truly wish that this wasn’t the case. I wish that I did not have to try my best to explain to them why bad things happen. I wish they didn’t have to see the media lead every news cycle with the main thought, “If it bleeds, it leads!” Why would the media do that? Well…that’s a different topic for a different day. Just know that this is one of their main operating motives.

We need leadership now more than ever! On one hand, those against the 2nd amendment and the rights it gives each U.S. citizen need to understand that this single sentence has and will prevent us from ending up in a Communist state under tyrannical rule. On the other hand, those of us that are pro-2nd amendment need to also lead by example. We all know at least one friend or family member that we would never trust going to the gun range with. If we wouldn’t trust that person in the same stall with us at a gun range, then it’s reasonable of us to say we shouldn’t trust them with a gun PERIOD!

Taking guns out of the hands of the “good guys” has never and will never make sense! That being said, the question that no one seems to be asking is…is it possible to take the guns out of the “bad guys” hands and who determines who the “bad guys” are?

Perhaps it’s time to go back to the days of having well-regulated militias. By the way…a quick history lesson. Militias went by the wayside after the Civil War. The problem with them then, they were used to take guns and ammunition away from slaves in the Southern states. After the Civil War, the militias turned into what we know now as the National Guard. The problem today is that the National Guard is controlled and used to be soldiers by our federal government. This eliminates the checks and balances of having a well-regulated and organized militia for the people and by the people.

Why haven’t we as a people been able to meet in the middle on this controversial topic? It is my belief that it is a fundamental lack of trust in those we’ve elected to lead our country. Those of us that are pro-2nd amendment and pro-freedom simply do not trust elected officials to keep their word in any manner.

And why should we trust our government? We’ve known that our own government is spying on us under the guise of the cleverly named Patriot Act. Conveniently passed after a national tragedy. Never waste a perfectly good tragedy to pass a tyrannical bill! We’ve seen the White House and FBI control the media narrative as well as big tech through their influence of media moguls in the mainstream as well as Facebook, Twitter, and Google which infringes on Amendment I. We’ve seen our government hold citizens in prison over the January 6th, 2020, protest without bail, due process, or a speedy trial (as of today it’s been over 500 days) and that infringes on Amendment XI.

We know that if we lose the 2nd Amendment it’s only a matter of time before each and every “right” we hold dear falls along with it. At the same time, we cannot continue to bury our children because of politics and a refusal to address the root causes plaguing our society.

We deserve principle-based leaders that are trustworthy and cannot be bought! Not elected officials that line their own pockets while stripping our pockets as well as the rights of their citizens and removing their will to be great! We deserve to live in a country that our forefathers dreamt for us! A country that is free for ALL! We deserve to not be constantly threatened and divided. We deserve and desperately need leaders that cannot be bought.

We need to realize that “we the people” are the power, but only when we can come together for the common good! The more they divide us the easier we are to manipulate and control. We need leaders that bring us together in reality not politicians selling us more lies to get elected.

I believe that this is the greatest country to have ever existed and we’re losing it! I am proud to be an American and so should all of you! That doesn’t mean that we’re proud of every single piece of our history, but it does mean that we believe in the idea of America. All of us that call ourselves citizens of this great country hit the lottery by either being born here or migrating here. True principle-based leadership is the only way to save it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Josh Kosnick is the Owner and Founder of Kairos Coaching & Consulting, LLC. He is a veteran entrepreneur and a leadership coach, mentor, and consultant by trade.

Before starting his leadership consulting business, Josh spent 17 years in the financial industry. He achieved great success as a producer, recruiter, and developer. At the age of 35, Josh sold his wealth management practice and was appointed the leader of a firm of over 100 advisors. Then at the age of 40, he sold that thriving business which allowed him the time and focus to dedicate himself to advancing his legacy.