Gun Rights in Star Wars

Zephan Wood

President, CSU Stanislaus CRs

​"The Jedi understand the importance of concealed and open carry of lightsabers..."

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As the election comes to a close and as movie theaters remain largely closed, entertainment will become slim pickings as we move closer toward the holidays. Luckily, we will soon be returning to our favorite galaxy far far away on October 30th, 2020 with the Mandalorian. For those that are not big Star Wars nerds like me, in brief, the Mandalorian is a show that follows an ex-bounty hunter and his sidekick “Baby Yoda” as they explore the galaxy trying to find Baby Yoda’s parents. It is up to Dyn Jarren (spoiler alert) and the big iron on his hip to ensure that the fractured remnants of the insidious Empire does not get their hands on him first!

Upon first glance, you might be thinking, “This is great and all, but how does this franchise that I grew up with embrace a staunch pro-liberty view of gun rights?” Well, good question. Apart from the now famous Mandalorian saying, “Weapons are part of my religion,” it is hard to see how gun rights as we understand it here on Earth fits into the larger context of the Star Wars cannon. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the fate of the galaxy firmly rests on free individuals exercising their right to keep and bear arms. 

This notion is demonstrated prominently in two areas of the films. First is the role that Jedis play in the films. Apart from being a religious creed, the goal of the Jedi Order is to serve as peacekeepers across the galaxy. The Jedi, unlike many peace activists here on Earth, realize that the only way to stop a guy with a red lightsaber is to have a guy with a green, blue, or purple lightsaber. Additionally, the Jedi are not actually apart of the Galactic Republic, but rather, serve as an independent branch that checks the tyrannical aspirations of the Senate and the Chancellor. This is why the Jedi were justified in arresting Palpatine when it was found that he was a Sith lord. The Earth-equivalent would be if there were a group of men and women that served as a check to the tyrannical aspirations of a politician that sought to expand his/her power. This is generally categorized as the “militia”.

To reiterate, the Jedi understand the importance of concealed and open carry of lightsabers to defend their fellow civilians against immediate attacks, and they also serve as an institutional check against an increasingly intrusive Republic.

However, in their bureaucracy, they acted on their role far too late.  While the Jedi may have been one of the only armed minorities in the galaxy to have been successfully genocided, they served as the hope for the next generation of freedom fighters.

Enter A New Hope, where a revolutionary band of blue uniformed rebels assemble what little arms and ships they possess to resist a vast Empire that quashes dissent and refuses to redress the grievances of their colonies. Sound familiar? The main difference here, being that the Empire in this case has the power to blow up entire planets in under 30 seconds. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, the rebels destroy not one, but two death stars — with a couple of ships, a handful of arms, and a colossal amount of discipline and hope. This serves as a refreshing reminder that, despite what Eric Swalwell and Joe Biden might say, it will take a lot more than nukes and F-14s to stop a determined band of armed patriots resisting an oppressive Empire.
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This barely scrapes the surface of how Star Wars unintentionally inspired a generation of people like me to strongly defend our God-given right to keep and bear arms.

Unlike most media, Star Wars offers a strong conservative/libertarian message that cannot be ignored. Hence, I implore everyone reading this to go out and vote on November 3rd to keep the Republic from becoming the Empire. Additionally, get involved in preserving your Second Amendment right by joining a local gun rights group, professionally run militia, or even by taking a friend to go shooting. Like the Jedi, We the People must remember our role as serving as a peacekeepers in our communities by legally open and concealed carrying and to serve as an institutional check against those in Washington that would seek to commit harm against our families and friends. And, if the Empire does seek to threaten those who we love most, we mustn’t allow for ourselves to be tread upon.

So remember that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed and may the Force be with you all, always!

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