And a few years back, Peter Bagge at Reason magazine made some compelling arguments in favor of allowing Americans to own a Bazooka, as well. If a person doesn’t pose a threat to his fellow citizens, if he or she is a collector of such things, or even if he or she wants to stash a weapon in their backyard bunker in case tyranny breaks out, it seems to me that should be their right. Because, as Carson himself goes on to say: “But the real reason that they put it [2nd Amendment] there is recognizing that there could come a time when our government itself could go off the rail, and could try to dominate the people, and the people would need a mechanism of defense for themselves.”

Conservatives shy away from this argument for understandable political reasons. It is unlikely, really unthinkable in today’s world. Yet … you never know, we may need some tanks one day.