People commonly quote Marx communicating that the possession of firearms must not be infringed, but I’d like more general principles and justifications than an appeal to Marx.
I’ve done some reading but when I cannot I just think about things on my own, maybe bounce ideas off a friend.
Word Vomit Contained inside
The view that I’ve come to currently is that violence (defined in this case as the obstruction or frustration of another’s plans and ambitions) is a core universal tool which all living things employ. Language and cooperation were evolutionary evolved as a complement to violence (communication and cooperation allowed group violence which greatly improved survival odds). However, in cases where communication/cooperation with an outgroup breaks down, violence in some form will be fallen back on.
What’s more, between two non-cooperative groups, if one group can obtain what they want through violence without losing more than they gain, they’ll quite often choose that option as it is enticing.
Because of this natural progression, force-on-force is almost inevitable. To prevent being trodden upon by others, it is wise for a community to arm itself and train, thus greatly raising the cost of confrontations, hopefully beyond what others are willing to pay.
I would like to hear more from folks though, maybe just wise words on operation, maybe some sources to check out in my free time. Anything to better build my understanding is welcome.
Under the dictatorship of capital, the possession of firearms by the working class ensures that they have an effective medium to combat the bourgeoisie and their collaborators should class struggle be heightened to an unprecedented degree. It also allows for marginalized groups of people (minorities, communists, LGBT, etc) to defend themselves in case they come under assault by an armed, reactionary majority.
Under the dictatorship of labour, there will be no need for individual workers to possess firearms since the proletariat, as a class, will be armed to defend the revolution; however, I have read one suggestion on Reddit whereby a locked armory stores all of the firearms in a community, which can only be accessed by a key should the need to employ them arise.