Bring Your Own
One reason why countries need a government is that of the need for defence.
So some (nostalgic) people interested in limited government often suggest laws that require all able-bodied (used to be only male) citizens to own their own weapons.
A government once tried to do that and the idea blew up very quickly. First, the citizens would end up with a large variety of weaponry. This became a problem if the country had a long war. You could insist that the citizens purchase some ammunition but there is a limit to how much ammunition one soldier could purchase and bring with them. You can also forget about modernizing the army.
Assuming that the lesson was learnt and the country insisted that the citizens purchased only a single agreed type of rifle. The next problem was availability. The approved rifles are not going to make their way to every citizen. Some vendors would regard the cost of delivering the rifles to some people in faraway places as too expensive. You could get your citizens to pay more but this would make them unhappy.
So now a better solution would be to consolidate all the rifles purchases. This would lower the price due to the bulk order. Moreover, the government knew where the citizens stayed so delivery could be planned. And also collect payment on the rifles.
And suddenly, the limited government is in charge of choosing rifles, procuring them and delivering them. Suddenly, civil servants have to figure out how to get finances (even if it is just a bridging loan) for the rifles. You have to get people to evaluate weapons. Other people had to figure out the logistics of the delivery. And also work out payment collections. While not being corrupt.
You either end up with a bigger government or an arms industry with more market control.
So some (nostalgic) people interested in limited government often suggest laws that require all able-bodied (used to be only male) citizens to own their own weapons.
A government once tried to do that and the idea blew up very quickly. First, the citizens would end up with a large variety of weaponry. This became a problem if the country had a long war. You could insist that the citizens purchase some ammunition but there is a limit to how much ammunition one soldier could purchase and bring with them. You can also forget about modernizing the army.
Assuming that the lesson was learnt and the country insisted that the citizens purchased only a single agreed type of rifle. The next problem was availability. The approved rifles are not going to make their way to every citizen. Some vendors would regard the cost of delivering the rifles to some people in faraway places as too expensive. You could get your citizens to pay more but this would make them unhappy.
So now a better solution would be to consolidate all the rifles purchases. This would lower the price due to the bulk order. Moreover, the government knew where the citizens stayed so delivery could be planned. And also collect payment on the rifles.
And suddenly, the limited government is in charge of choosing rifles, procuring them and delivering them. Suddenly, civil servants have to figure out how to get finances (even if it is just a bridging loan) for the rifles. You have to get people to evaluate weapons. Other people had to figure out the logistics of the delivery. And also work out payment collections. While not being corrupt.
You either end up with a bigger government or an arms industry with more market control.
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