To say the world has been left astonished by the Ukrainian peoples’ resistance to the Russian invasion is an understatement. This in turn is mainly due to the recognition that the majority of the resistance stems from everyday citizens taking up arms in protection of their country.
Ukraine has actively made pursuits to aid in the defense of the resistance by providing its people with firearms. It is known that over 25,00 automatic rifles and 10 million rounds of ammunition have been distributed to volunteers in Kyiv. More surprisingly, in the U.S. even those in overwhelming favor of gun control have announced they “stand with the brave Ukrainian people” in their armed resistance. What’s interesting is how this population has not noticed the glaring contradiction between their position of gun control one day and gun distribution the next.
This contradictory situation is not only make clear in actions but in words as well. The perfect example is President Joe Biden’s rush to arm Ukrainians standing in contrast with his desire to disarm everyday Americans.
Another example would be Canadian Head Of State Justin Trudeau: pushing oppressive arms control at home while providing the Ukrainian resistance with machine guns, handguns, carbines, and also 1.5 million rounds of ammo. The European Union presents a comparable hostility to the self-defense rights of its own folks, even as it gives Ukraine about half a billion dollars’ worth of “lethal aid.”
Equipping regular Ukrainian citizens with arms is an entirely new circumstance, in fact. A 2014 record identified that the country had “inherited the Soviet civilian gun control system, which provides for restrictive gun owner licensing and the registration of all firearms.” As mentioned in that report, Ukraine had previously considered putting gun laws in place back in the 1990s, however any considerations were paused due to politicians questioning “whether or not private [gun] ownership would increase crime or improve security.”
It is hoped at this point that the unfortunate events of 2022 have cleared up that concern finally. It should have never been a question to provide an individual their natural right of self-defense in terms of not only their life but their nation as a whole – and neither party is safe without the ability to exercise that right.
As noted, Ukraine was sadly late to increase lawful protection of gun laws. Its own parliament acted upon an emergency basis prior to Russia’s invasion.
Sure, it can be said that this is better late than never, however imagine how much better of a position the people of Kyiv would have been if they were training with these weapons throughout their lives. It is guaranteed that those potential years of experience and handling would have made the resistance all the more powerful.
It is incredibly disappointing to hear that the Ukrainian government has left some notable restrictions on the protection rights of the Ukrainian individuals, as well as merely codifying these civil liberties in a statute instead of providing complete defense. Truthfully, the right to bear arms– in public and private— is an organic right that Ukrainian citizens do not need the government’s approval to practice. They simply need the federal government to stay out of the way of their organic liberties.
However, given that many U.S. jurisdictions intrude on that right, it’s certainly not unusual if various other nations are perplexed concerning it.
We can note, however, that Ukraine is moving much faster in the right direction on gun rights, which is something the U.S. is lacking. The chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, states the new legislation is “to ensure that every citizen receives the sacred right to self-defense.”
It’s an incredibly important fact to recognize that the Ukrainian people are given a fighting chance because they are armed.
