I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

No court is going to preserve your God-given right to bear arms and defend yourself and your family from criminals, terrorists or tyrannical government.

It's up to you to preserve that right — by exercising it. Rights are like muscles: If you don't use 'em, you lose 'em.

While naturally I am gratified by the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling last week upholding the Second Amendment's affirmation of an individual's right to bear arms, I must note with anxiety the closeness of that decision.

I sure hope America's liberty doesn't rest on the shoulders of Anthony Kennedy. He happened to get this one right. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. More often, Kennedy sides with those who distort, twist, pervert and subvert the clear meaning of our Constitution.

It is no exaggeration to say that in 2008, the gravest threat to our Constitution is posed by five members of the Supreme Court; and those five members include Kennedy.

So celebrate this momentary reprieve from tyranny. But when the revelry subsides, remember that we have work to do.

And what is that work? What do you suppose is the single-most productive thing you can do to preserve your inalienable, Second Amendment-protected right to bear arms? No, it's not writing a letter to your congressman. No, it's not voting for a certain presidential candidate in 2008. No, it's not joining an organization that defends those rights. As important as those actions might be, there is something far more critical to the long-term preservation of your right to self-defense.

In the next week, as you are commemorating the birth of our nation and celebrating its independence, you should go out and buy guns .

I know this may sound radical. I know you haven't heard this from anyone else — including the National Rifle Association. I know those George Soros-backed Web sites devoted to monitoring my every word and deed will be apoplectic over this advice. But I mean it. I've thought long and hard about the best approach to protecting this precious freedom. And this is it. It's the prudent thing to do. It's the right thing to do. It's the effective thing to do. It is your sovereign birthright. It is your duty.

When Injustice John Paul Stevens wrote his minority opinion in the Heller case, he disingenuously pretended to believe the Founders were protecting not the right of individuals to bear arms, but the power of government to maintain a monopoly on force. Incredible! He can't be that ignorant. This is intentional deceit. The Second Amendment is, after all, part of the Bill of Rights — the Founders' effort to protect individual freedom by shackling the federal government.

Just a generation ago, nearly every politician in America understood the purpose of the Second Amendment and defended it vigorously.

The late Hubert H. Humphrey, a man who defined liberal Democratic politics in the mid-1960s had this to say on the subject: "Certainly, one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms. This is not to say that firearms should not be carefully used and that definite safety rules of precaution should not be taught and enforced. But the right of the citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible."

Humphrey was right. So were the Founding Fathers. Tyranny is always possible. In fact, without a vigilant, armed civilian populace, it is inevitable.

There's only one ultimate defense against the imposition of tyranny here: armed, self-governing Americans willing and able to resist it. Only a well-armed citizenry is an effective countermeasure to deter crime and other threats on our lives and liberty. There's no substitute. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

And it's most important to arm the weak, the defenseless, the vulnerable, the likely victims. Most guys I know like guns. Most women don't. Guess what? Women need them more.

Well, don't sit back and rest on your laurels because the Second Amendment survived a 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court. Don't count on members of Congress to preserve liberty. Don't count on the lobbying efforts of the great gun organizations in this country.

Instead, take individual action to preserve your individual rights. Arm yourselves while you can. Give the gun industry its biggest boost ever. Buy guns for your friends and your neighbors and your loved ones. Stimulate the firearms economy. Start an arms buildup right here in America. And watch the crime rate drop before your eyes.

There's a side benefit, too. The more Americans who are packing heat the more difficult and unpopular it will be for the government to grab the guns.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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