Could This Happen in America in 2025?
Introduction
This article is a piece of fiction based on my creative side trying to bridge the gap with my practical nature. I am writing this with the time frame in mind of a future America of 2025. It could be sooner or later. I am trying to project a potential scenario and I leave this to the reader to decide whether it is possible or a total fiction.
- Mar. 2018
- updated Apr. 2018
Background
Let me state at the outset that I am making a guess as to future events. I have no crystal ball or any special premonition as to what is to come. I am just writing a possible future event based on my knowledge of history and of human nature. How close I come to the truth is up to you to decide for yourselves.
Suppose over the next year, we have some mass shootings in our schools around the country. Innocent children and teachers are killed for no reason. It was not Islamic extremist terrorism or domestic terrorism. It was just some random act by people who are just insane or prone to violence.
As a result, students and politicians would conduct mass protests and sit downs and peaceful demonstrations in Washington DC. Congress is forced to act amid the public outcry. They finally passed new legislation that limit the access to guns and assault weapons. Over the next several years, the violence continued unabated. This time Congress and the President formed a bi-partisan commission to study this problem. A few months later, they came up with a detailed report and the conclusion is we do not need guns in the public arena any more. Our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment is obsolete in the 21st Century. They sight other nations like the UK and Australia where guns were banned and had no adverse effect. The public sentiment demands we repeal it and after a hard fought battle in Congress, it was accomplished.
Over the next several years, people were given the option to voluntarily turn in their weapons. Some groups resisted of course. Eventually, we accomplished the goal of eliminating most guns from the public space. The only legal guns are the ones carried by the police and the military. The underworld still have their guns but they find it is much harder to keep them due to the strict laws and enforcement. When they are stopped or arrested, the guns are confiscated and they pay a steep price of jail time.
All is Peaceful in America...
The story continues and our country enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity without guns. People especially in the large cities are used to this idea. Hunters and people in the wilderness are given special permits to have guns for recreational use under strict controls.
Unfortunately, this harmony did not last. It might start with a major natural disaster like a category 5 hurricane that knocked out our energy grid. This became a huge problem after several weeks when the utility companies could not restore power to some large region of the country. Some people panicked and some started rioting and looting. Food and gasoline are in short supply. People could not travel to their jobs, and the economy spiraled out of control. The federal government, in order to keep peace, called out the national guards. The President declared a national emergency...and instituted a temporary marshall law to keep peace.
Life is not so good in parts of America. The rich elites have alternatives where they can relocate their families to another country. For the most part, the citizens stayed put and try to protect and defend their homes. They band together in local communities to help their neighbors. The local police are overwhelmed.
A New Leader...
The next national election, a new charismatic person emerged as the front-runner. He is handsome and well spoken and delivered a positive message. He promised to restore order, restore power, and bring back prosperity. He is portrayed as our beneficent savior. Once elected, he moved quickly to consolidate his power. He removed the little opposition from the opposing political party. He has the will of the people on his side and under such extreme circumstance, he was able to get things done quickly and without much debate. The electric power is restored and things begin to return to normalcy. The trains and buses are running on time. People can commute to work again. Students can go back to schools.
Riding on this popularity, the leader pushed for more reforms. He increased taxes to pay for roads, hospitals, universal healthcare and more... He has single handedly done the impossible. He unified the nation and they were able to accomplish great things together. It is almost like heaven on earth and a utopian society was born. What could go wrong?
The Storm After the Calm...
Unfortunately, nothing last forever. A sudden illness took the life of the new president. The Vice President assumed power. He was not as charismatic or well spoken. He was power hungry and did not want to loose in the next election. He used the power of the government to assured his reelection. Even though there were people in DC who knew what was going on, they had little recourse. Some few whistleblowers were arrested and put in jail on some trumped up charges. The government now is run as a dictatorship. Oppositions are crushed by the police. They are the only ones that have guns. The few that are resistant to this new government, have no means to counter it. They are forced underground.
It is said “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” No wonder our founding fathers established our Constitution with that in mind and gave us the Bill of Rights to avoid such end.
No one is suggesting when push comes to shove, an armed public can stop a standing army of the United States. It is thought of as an “insurance policy” where a population with arms can prevent the advent of an over zealous government or ruler from implementing a coup.
Summary
The story does not end well. I will stop here and let the reader imagine what comes next... If you think this can’t happen in our modern world, you would be wrong. It happened pretty much exactly like this in Germany after the first World War. It lead to the rise of Hitler and the third Reich. He came close to conquering the world. It was only due to the Allies under the leadership of the United States that defeated the Nazis and the Imperial Army of the Empire of Japan.
It was the philosopher George Santayana who said “those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it...”
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© 2018 Jack Lee