A small 🧵 on why gun ownership is of fundamental importance.

1. Roman Empire: Augustus disarmed the Roman population to solidify his rule (27 BCE - 14 CE).

2. Tokugawa Shogunate: Imposed strict sword control in Japan to maintain centralized authority (1603-1868).

3. British Empire: The Disarming Act of 1716 targeted the Scottish Highlands to suppress rebellion against English rule.

4. Russian Empire: Tsar Nicholas I banned private ownership of firearms to suppress political dissent (1826-1855).

5. Ottoman Empire: Sultan Mahmud II disarmed the Janissaries, an elite military force, to centralize power (1826).

6. Nazi Germany: Hitler implemented the Weapons Law of 1938 (Gesetz über Schußwaffen und Munition), disarming Jews and political opponents.

7. Soviet Union: Under Stalin, gun ownership was heavily restricted to prevent challenges to Communist rule (1922-1953).

8. China: The People's Republic of China enforced gun control to consolidate Communist authority (1949-present).

9. Guatemala: President Jorge Ubico banned private gun ownership to suppress opposition (1931-1944).

10. Uganda: Idi Amin disarmed specific ethnic groups to consolidate his dictatorship (1971-1979).

11. Cambodia: The Khmer Rouge disarmed the population during their reign of terror (1975-1979).

12. Iraq: Saddam Hussein restricted gun ownership to maintain control over the population (1979-2003).

13. Libya: Muammar Gaddafi imposed strict gun control to suppress dissent (1969-2011).

14. Syria: Bashar al-Assad implemented gun control measures to quell uprisings (2000-present).

15. North Korea: The Kim dynasty tightly controls gun ownership to solidify their authoritarian regime (1948-present).

16. Venezuela: President Hugo Chávez and his successors restricted gun ownership to maintain control (1999-present).

17. Cuba: Fidel Castro disarmed the population to consolidate his communist rule (1959-present).

18. Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe implemented gun control to suppress opposition (1980-2017).

19. Myanmar: The military junta restricted gun ownership to suppress pro-democracy movements (1962-present).

20. Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko tightened gun control to maintain his autocratic rule (1994-present).

Regardless of our personal feelings towards firearms we need to educate ourselves on the historical facts of disarmed populations: the individual's right to own weapons is a necessary evil.