Why Are The Elites So Concerned With Disarming Us?

 Anonymous Conservative linked to this article this morning: "Pope Francis Wants Everyone Except the Men Protecting Him to Give Up Their Weapons"--Daniel Greenfield. Greenfield begins by quoting from a Bloomberg article:

    Pope Francis on Monday blasted the weapons industry and its “instruments of death” that fuel wars as he made a Christmas Day appeal for peace in the world and in particular between Israel and the Palestinians…

    “It should be talked about and written about, so as to bring to light the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war,” he said. “And how can we even speak of peace, when arms production, sales and trade are on the rise?”

While I certainly understand the desire for peace, I don't understand those who think it can be achieved by rendering others helpless before their enemies. 

    In the Book of Mormon, there is an account of a group of Lamanites that convert and lay down their arms (actually, bury them) as a sign and covenant of giving up their murderous and warlike ways. They had no illusions about what would happen, though, and knew that they were going to be attacked. And they were. They were only saved from utter destruction because many of the soldiers tasked with slaughtering the group became sickened by killing helpless people (it was an honor society and they were doing a dishonorable thing) and so also threw down their arms and converted. But the survivors wound up fleeing to a militarily strong nation where they were resettled into their own lands (no PC attempts to mix them into the general population!). And when war came, they did what honorable conscientious objectors have done throughout history:  they provided extra food and supplies in support of the war effort to make up for their being unable to take up arms. And when their sons were old enough to fight--and not being bound by the oaths of their fathers--their sons volunteered for service. In short, their giving up weapons was not because they thought it would bring peace to the world, but to bring peace to themselves by renouncing bloodshed, fearful that if they took up the sword again they wouldn't not be able to again give up the love of killing. And they certainly didn't expect everyone else to give up their arms.

    In Francis' case, we have the common image of a leader that believes that war or violent crime or both will magically disappear if everyone gives up their weapons ... except for them, of course, because they are too important. Greenfield points out that the Pope has his bodyguards, the Vatican is specifically protected by the paramilitary Swiss Guard who seem to be armed with the latest weapons of war, and the Vatican is more generally protected by the fact that Italy has a military and belongs to NATO.

    It's not just the Pope. My Church has a general policy of prohibiting the carrying of weapons in church buildings or at church activities and, in Utah, had the law changed so the Church could simply register with the state's attorney general rather than have to post "no guns" signs at its facilities. But, of course, none of this applies to their personal security details or the security services at the Church Office Building and Temple Square. 

    And, of course, we have political leaders such as our own last dozen or so presidents who, without exception, in one form or another have trampled on our Second Amendment rights while constantly under the protection of a small army of heavily armed Secret Service Agents, federal police, and Marines, with fighter jets, armed helicopters and sometimes naval carrier groups thrown in. 

    While there are all sorts of theories about this--and it will obviously depend on the leader whether it is something nefarious (like disarming the populace so you can then march them off to the gulag) or more benign (disarming the populace so criminals don't get hurt on the job)--it ultimately boils down to the fact that the state is a jealous god who desires a complete monopoly on violence. Because in the mind of the elites, a perfect society can only exist when the government can exercise perfect control.