Human nature and the rights of others

     Ever notice it seems to be human nature for us to be willing to take away the rights of others, and in the process, give up our own rights, if those rights are ones we do not personally exercise? 
     Think about that......If you aren't gay, you have no problem passing laws that take away rights from Gays.  If you are scared of guns, you have no problem trying to ban them.  Whatever you are into, whatever you and your like minded friends hate, you want to take it away from someone else.  If you don't like something, you see no problem taking it away from others, even though they were born with the right to it, and it is probably none of your business.
     I suppose some would disagree with my (all too common) assertion that the actions I observe are caused by human nature, as though those actions can't be avoided.  Several recent  opinions published in our local news, as well as articles in national publications, have caused me to make the same observation, (again) though.  
     A recent Supreme Court ruling has reinforced the Constitutional guarantee that all US Citizens are born with the right  to own weapons.  No local, State, or federal government may unilaterally take this right away from us . Immediately after this ruling, people started throwing a fit, saying they are scared to leave their houses because everybody will have a gun, screaming at the top of their lungs (so to speak) that law abiding citizens owning firearms will make the world unsafe, make crime rates explode, and generally cause anarchy.  The proof for, or against, these assertions is not the point of this discussion, so I will not discuss that. The point is, they don't want to have a gun, so they are more than willing to give up that right for themselves, and in the process forcibly take that right from you and I.  
     Isn't this human nature?  Doesn't it always happen, throughout history, all over the world?  Didn't millions of people back the attempted eradication of the Jews in the not-too-distant past? Didn't many people back prohibition?  How about the current smoking bans?  Of course not all of this is on the same level, but it is the same concept.  It is too easy to make a decision to give up your own rights and in doing so, forcibly take rights away from someone else, when you personally do not exercise the right in question. 
     The next time you want to spout off about taking away from others a right you do not take advantage of yourself, imagine the rights you hold dearest, (For example, your freedom of religion) and imagine that a loud minority would be able to take those rights away from you (Let's say, for example, throw you in jail for going to church....no.... tougher than that...throw you in jail for even believing in God, just believing).  Then, if you still want to express your opinion, please do so.  It is still a free country, and after all, it is human nature to do so, Right?