A Brief Discussion on the Rule of Law in America - Freedom

The 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, was attacked by a gunman during a rally in Pennsylvania. The image of the raised fist under the national flag is very impactful. However, I want to share my understanding of American rule of law from another perspective.

First, I would like to discuss a few incidents where national leaders were attacked:

• In 1865, President Lincoln was shot and killed in a theater.
• In 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a car in a plaza.
• In 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed while giving a speech on the street.
• In 2024, former US President Trump was injured in a shooting.

Of course, there are many other incidents where national leaders were attacked that I won’t list here. I just want to use the issue of “gun ownership” to start our discussion.

Many countries, for safety reasons, do not allow citizens to own guns. However, some countries, out of a belief in “freedom” and other viewpoints, do allow citizens to own guns. These are all written into the constitutions of various countries by their parliaments (or other legislative bodies with the power to vote on laws) based on the circumstances and combined opinions at the time. We can completely imagine that if the United States did not allow citizens to own guns, at least Trump would not have been shot this time (illegal gun ownership and other forms of attacks are not within the scope of this discussion). If we look at it from this perspective, it only reduces the types of weapons used in attacks. However, “free America,” in my personal view, is not an empty slogan, because the constitution clearly states that citizens have the freedom to own guns. When the founding leaders of the country intensely discussed the future of America, they likely feared that the newly established government would stand in opposition to the people. The freedom to own guns was granted to all citizens to have effective weapons for protecting their life and property.

This raises a question: why do citizens not trust the government? This is a question that everyone cannot avoid. The government exercises power on behalf of the national will, and in the face of a huge institution, individual citizens have almost no ability to resist. Therefore, owning guns is a very direct means of self-protection, but it is also a very direct means of harming others. There are many gun-related incidents in the United States each year, resulting in numerous deaths. Not long ago, there was another tragic school shooting, which is not an isolated case. Even so, the freedom to own guns remains unchanged in the US Constitution. Why is this? It is not because there are no groups calling for “gun control.” In a country with freedom of speech like the United States, everyone has the right to express themselves, but the constitution has not changed, at least indicating that the majority support gun ownership. In the face of innocent lives lost to shootings, and even more so, their own lives, why do American citizens still choose to support gun ownership?

This brings us back to the main focus of our article: the rule of law. This is a constitutional provision. In a contractual society that respects and generally accepts the law, citizens must and have to follow the constitution, as it is the basic rule for the normal operation of the country. There is a Chinese saying, “Without rules, there is no order.” Without a set of rules that everyone follows, the country would fall into chaos. Why do we talk about ruling the country by law? Because freedom and democracy are achieved through law. Making laws is difficult because there are too many opinions, but enforcing them is even more difficult because, ultimately, laws are enforced by people. As long as there are people, there will be individual wills and interests. From this perspective, the freedom to own guns at least allows citizens to have effective weapons to defend their basic right to life when facing injustice.

The pioneers who boarded the Mayflower and set foot on North America may not have imagined that their descendants would build this land into what it is today. Similarly, people of different races and colors who have integrated into this country may not have imagined that it would become what it is today. But it is precisely the voices and demands of each individual that have created this democracy-first country. Looking back at those historical events, the birth of the Bill of Rights is truly thought-provoking.

The pioneers of the past are long gone, but the spirit of founding the country they passed down lives on. “Life and freedom” are eternal rights hovering over this country. Because of this, American citizens are willing to pay the price, even if it is the lives of some individuals. This is fair to each individual because everyone can own a gun to defend their life, and they must bear the heavy price of possibly losing their own life for it.

Life is precious, love is more valuable; if it is for freedom, both can be given up.

The protagonist in the movie “Braveheart” shouted “freedom” before his execution, which may give us a different perspective on every warrior who fought for freedom throughout history and every innocent person who was harmed as a result.