In the debate about guns, there are a lot of arguments on either side of the issue. On the gun control side, many argue that we don’t really need guns all that much, we have the government to protect us. They argue that the police and military exist primarily to protect us, so why do we need guns?

They really think that’s a slam-dunk argument.

Never mind that the police can’t be everywhere all the time, the truth is that recent actions by the government have given me more reasons than ever to hold on to my right to keep and bear arms.

In recent months, we’ve covered a lot of different stories, but a handful stick out right about now.

For example, I wrote yesterday about how the CDC buried a study on defensive gun use in order to help gun control advocates. That’s a government agency, ostensibly one that is supposed to be data-driven, not guided by politics, trying to manipulate the political debate around the Second Amendment.

If they were the only ones who were engaged in some hinky actions, it would be one thing. Only, they weren’t.

We also have the FBI and other agencies basically pressuring people into giving up their Second Amendment rights in perpetuity, something that I still question the validity of. Further, the FBI also has a habit of downplaying defensive gun use statistics, possibly also to also help advance gun control.

Then there’s the ATF, which is just all kinds of special.

We’ve seen them show up at people’s doors demanding to see weapons they recently purchased, something they have no authority to demand, and we’ve seen them demand FFLs provide addresses not just for denied NICS checks, but even delayed ones. We’ve even seen ATF inspectors taking photographs of records they have no business photographing.

Now, let’s remember, this is all stuff we learned about just this year. I didn’t pull out a string of examples from over the last decade. This is recent history, for crying out loud.

And yet, this is the same government many say we’re supposed to trust with our protection. These are the people who are only looking out for our best interests.

I’m sorry, but when a government that can’t follow the rules starts working toward disarming me, that’s when I really want my guns.

Let’s remember that many of the most horrific acts carried out over the last century or so aren’t mass shootings, as awful as those are. They’re typically acts of governments against the people they have authority over. The Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Holodomor, and countless other atrocities were the result of those in power deciding to rid the world of those without it.

Now, I’m not saying that we’re just one gun control law away from genocide or anything, but anyone should be concerned when government agents across the board are overstepping their authority routinely.

This isn’t just one rogue agent but is instead indicative of a broader issue. It’s a systemic problem that predates the current administration but is also a problem they’re likely to bother addressing.

As a result, only a fool would assume that the problem won’t fester and grow, like a cancerous tumor, unless there’s some kind of a check on this, and a meaningful check that goes beyond a few hearings that are little more than a chance for lawmakers to grandstand and show off for their constituents while actually accomplishing nothing.

What bothers me more, though, is the possibility that this wasn’t done without senior officials’ knowledge, that they approved of all of this.

We don’t know. We likely can’t know.

So, because we have a government that clearly doesn’t respect our gun rights, it’s all the more reason to hold onto our gun rights more dearly.