Finland’s Military Preparations Sound Awfully Old-School American

When the United States was first created, it was with the idea that there would be no standing army. There was a concern among our Founding Fathers that a standing army was a tool of oppression, that the military would be used to crush dissent, and that liberty couldn’t be protected with such a force existing.

I think we did a good job of addressing those concerns, though. There are problems that we should probably talk about at some point, of course, but it’s not with the men and women in uniform.

What the Founding Fathers envisioned was a militia system where men would respond to the call, complete with their own guns and equipment, and would meet whatever threats we faced.

That’s not how it works today, of course. The organized militia has been replaced with the National Guard, though the unorganized militia is still a thing, and those of us who make it up have our own weapons and gear.

In Finland, a nation that reflects American gun culture more than most places in the world, seems to be echoing that old-school militia mindset as they adjust to the changing military landscape that’s unfolded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finland will allow reservists called up to service to bring their own firearms, drones and GPS devices under new military guidelines introduced in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Finnish Defense Forces said reservists may take privately owned weapons and equipment with them when reporting for duty, although their use will be assessed upon arrival. 

“We want to enable bringing one’s own weapon, if one owns a weapon suitable for military use. In this way all resources would be available in a possible emergency,” the army officials said. 

…

“There is enough weapons and ammunition in military warehouses in case of war, but if reservists also bring their own private weapons to units, then all national weapons resources will be available in the event of a real threat,” military officials said.  

“Reservists equipment purchases are a positive thing from the Defense Forces’ perspective, as they can strengthen a reservist’s capabilities and support the maintenance of skills,” they added, noting that bringing privately owned equipment remains voluntary. 

Finland has a gun ownership rate similar to ours, though they have fewer guns per person than we do.

Big shock.

Still, I love the fact that Finland is talking about people having guns suitable for military purposes and how they’ll be welcomed when one reports for duty.

Let’s contrast that with how we have people here saying that we have no business with firearms suitable for military use.

See, one thing we see is that when a nation is under threat, suddenly gun control goes out the window. When you’re worried about the enemy at your gates, what you want are as many guns as you can get. Ukraine practically handed out guns before Russia invaded, despite having gun control on the books beforehand.

Finland has a lot of gun control, at least by our standards, but they’re telling people to bring their crap because Russia is right there, and the Finns have never really gotten along with Russia in any incarnation. They’re ready to rumble if Putin gets froggy, though, based on how Ukraine has gone, he’d do well to not get that way ever again.

The truth is that we haven’t faced a threat like that since the War of 1812, really. There were concerns about Japan in World War II, but they lacked the manpower to really try much on American soil. There’s a reason they hit the Aleutian Islands and little else.

But because that threat doesn’t exist here, at least right now, there’s this idea that we will never need to worry about it, so screw gun rights.

That’s shortsighted, to say the least, because when the barbarians are at the gate, you don’t want to suddenly have to learn how to be a barbarian yourself. Better to know well ahead of time.

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