Human Nature, Assault Weapons, and the Massacre at Wounded Knee

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

I used to wear a military uniform. I drew my paycheck from Uncle Sam. I even had a laminated card with my picture on it that made me official. I was the product of a relentless selection process and underwent countless hours of intensive formalized training.

At the end of the day, however, I was still just a guy. I wore some unique clothes and had a lot of responsibility, but I was innately no better or worse than any other typical American. A distinctive uniform, time in a classroom or on a range, and a special ID card do not synergistically shape a person’s character. Now hold that thought…

Terror in the Heartland

On the evening of 23 August 23, retired Ventura police Sergeant John Snowling entered Cook’s Corner, a well-known biker bar in Trabuco Canyon, California. While the term “biker bar” has a rough connotation, Cook’s Corner was not like that. It had a reputation for being family-friendly. This particular Wednesday evening was Spaghetti Night—a flat eight bucks for a generous serving.

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Snowling approached his estranged wife Marie who was out eating with friends and, without fanfare or preamble, shot her in the face with a handgun. By the time Orange County deputies gunned him down, Snowling had also shot another eight uninvolved bystanders, killing three. Snowling’s wife survived.

Snowling arrived that evening with two semiautomatic handguns, a revolver, and a shotgun—all legally purchased. Seven responding deputies fired at least seventy-five rounds bringing him down. As near as they could tell, Snowling did not know any of the other victims. He just shot the place up because he was a turd.

John Snowling

John Snowling was not some run-of-the-mill loser. This guy served in the Ventura Police Department for twenty-eight years, attaining the rank of Sergeant. He was president of the local police union. Right up until he walked into a restaurant and gunned down nine innocent people, he was one of the Good Guys.

Everyone interviewed claimed they did not see this coming. John and Marie were in the midst of a divorce, but the attorneys involved said he had been reasonable and accommodating despite the difficult circumstances. Responding deputies arrived two minutes after the first call.

Fortunately, California Governor Gavin Newsom had some helpful suggestions afterward. He urged Californians to make use of the state’s sparkly new red flag laws to temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a threat to themselves or others. He actually said, “We must continue to strengthen, defend, and use these laws. If you see red flags, say something — and in doing so, save lives.”

Red Flags?

Did I mention that this was a twenty-eight-year veteran cop/former president of the police union who had shown no signs of instability or violence before this attack? Snowling also drove in from Ohio for the festivities. I’d be curious to know how Governor Newsom suggests somebody “red flag” that.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do love me some cops. The young studs who ended this fight arrived 120 seconds after the 911 call. That is a freaking amazing performance. They charged in at risk of their own lives to save the patrons of Cook’s Corner. Like the overwhelming majority of police officers, those folks were innately selfless. They were heroes of the highest order. However, they were also not fundamentally different from the rest of us.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That’s not just a good idea, that’s the law. John Snowling wore a badge and police uniform for more than a quarter century. He was the guy who was supposed to stop stuff like this. However, the point here is not to attack cops. Quite the contrary, the point is to enable private citizens. I carry a gun whenever I am not asleep or in the shower because of the John Snowlings in the world.

La La Land

Gavin Newsom would have us believe that the reason stuff like this keeps happening is not because our post-modern society has cheapened human life and rendered Dads both obsolete and superfluous. Newson believes it is rather because the blasted NRA won’t let the US Congress enact commonsense assault weapons bans. There are around 400 people killed by murderers wielding rifles of any sort each year in America. I freely acknowledge that this represents 400 unspeakable agonizing tragedies.

However, in a nation of 328 million people, juxtapose that alongside 478,000 dead due to cigarettes and another 190,000 corpses stemming from alcohol. It never was about saving the children. It was always about disarming Americans. The rub is that we have actually tried that before, and it did not end well.

29 December 1890: Day Of A Massacre

In the years preceding the 1890 massacre, the Lakota Sioux had been relegated to designated reservations. A proud militaristic people, the Lakota were formidable adversaries during the Indian Wars. During the years the Army outright battled the American Indians, there had been ample atrocities committed by both sides. However, according to treaties made with the federal government, the Plains Indians were promised autonomy if only they would stick to their reservations. It didn’t work out that way.

The Indian reservations were generally pretty sucky. Ideally, the Native Americans would be tucked away to themselves and not bother anybody. However, white settlers and prospectors still pushed onto Indian land looking for stuff they wanted. After years of war, the Lakota were well-armed and battle-hardened. White settlers were justifiably intimidated by them.

“Difficult Indian Problem”

Here is what General Nelson Miles, the regional Federal Army commander, had to say in a cable he sent to General John Schofield in Washington DC—”The difficult Indian problem cannot be solved permanently at this end of the line. It requires the fulfillment of Congress of the treaty obligations that the Indians were entreated and coerced into signing. They signed away a valuable portion of their reservation, and it is now occupied by white people, for which they have received nothing.

“They understood that ample provision would be made for their support; instead, their supplies have been reduced, and much of the time they have been living on half and two-thirds rations. Their crops, as well as the crops of the white people, for two years, have been almost total failures.

“The dissatisfaction is widespread, especially among the Sioux, while the Cheyenne have been on the verge of starvation, and were forced to commit depredations to sustain life. These facts are beyond question, and the evidence is positive and sustained by thousands of witnesses.”

On the morning of 29 December 1890, units of the US Seventh Cavalry under the command of Colonel James Forsyth moved to disarm the Lakota. It had been fourteen years since Custer and the 7th Cav got slaughtered at Little Bighorn, so I suspect all involved still rocked a little attitude. Once they arrived at the primary Lakota encampment at Wounded Knee Creek, Forsyth deployed four Hotchkiss Mountain Guns in overwatch positions and began moving through the encampment forcibly collecting firearms.

Indian Massacre

Nobody knows how it started. Legend has it that a deaf Lakota man named Black Coyote resisted relinquishing his rifle as he had paid a great deal of money for it. Supposedly in the resulting struggle the weapon discharged. Regardless of the impetus, when the smoke cleared 7^th Cavalry troops had killed more than 250 men, women, and children, many of whom they rode down and executed while they were fleeing. Another 51 were wounded, some of whom later died. 

The Army awarded the Medal of Honor to twenty of the Army troops who participated in the massacre. The Medal of Honor was easier to get back then than it is today.

The Sioux did not just roll over and take this. They fought back, and hard. The Lakota ultimately killed 31 soldiers and wounded another 33. However, by the time the bullets started flying many of the Sioux warriors had already been disarmed. Additionally, many of the Army casualties were later attributed to friendly fire. The cannons provided substantial tactical overmatch, yet the soldiers still did not attack until the majority of the Indians had been disarmed. 

Relevance Today

There are an estimated 25-30 million “assault weapons” in circulation in America. Nobody knows what that term really means, but it is a safe bet to assume most of them are semiautomatic AR15s and AKMs. When confronted with the possibility of American citizens using AR-15s to protect themselves from a tyrannical government, President Biden laughed. He asserted that anyone hoping to resist the US government would need F-15 fighter jets. He’s said that a couple of times, which is kind of unsettling.

READ MORE: Harris Skirts Real Causes of Gun Violence in Atlanta Speech

No offense, Mr. President, but I choose not to take self-defense advice from a guy whose tactical solution to a hypothetical home invasion was to take his double-barrel 12-bore out on the back porch and shoot up in the air. If those 25 million black rifles seem so ineffectual why not imagine what might happen if you could suddenly transport them into Russia, Iran, or North Korea? Do you think Putin, Kim, or the theocratic psychopaths who are running Iran would still be in power if you suddenly gifted their respective populations 25 million semiautomatic rifles?

Avoiding Another Massacre

There are 482,000 troops in active service in the US Army. The North Koreans maintain 950,000 active duty soldiers. The Russians field 1.15 million, though that number is dropping by the day. The army of the People’s Republic of China is the world’s largest with 2 million troops under arms. Good for them. Armed American rednecks still outnumber the Chinese People’s Liberation Army at least 12 to 1. How do those F-15 fighter jets look now, Mr. President?

READ MORE: Dr. Dabbs – Why Ukraine Matters

The 2nd Amendment never was about hunting or sport shooting. It was about the Massacre at Wounded Knee and psychos like John Snowling. If the Newsoms, Bidens, Schumers, and Pelosis of the world just cannot comprehend that, then I can’t help them.

As regards outlawing those 25 million assault weapons, whatever they actually are, you just can’t have them. They’re not yours to take. That is never, ever going to happen. It’s time you started focusing your energies elsewhere.

Yes, those four hundred Americans murdered every year by maniacs armed with rifles are undeniably, tragically heart-rending, but that is the horrible price we pay for no more Wounded Knee massacres. Nowadays, untold millions of armed Americans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds stand ready to nip that stuff in the bud as the need arises. Molon labe.

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