Editor,
Right-wing extremists like to say: “We need our firearms to defend ourselves against the evils of the Federal government, which embodies the soul of Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Un and the devil himself, all rolled into one.” They claim that the Second Amendment entitles anyone and everyone to own a firearm; however, it reads “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people (i.e. the individual states) to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
I’m no lawyer, but it looks to me as though you should be a member of a “well-regulated militia,” or the equivalent, in order to buy and keep any firearm, which statistics show is five to six times more likely to be used on a member of that household than on an intruder with criminal intent. Do these demented maniacs who slaughter innocents look like they belong to a well-regulated anything? I don’t see it. Do you?
Steve Herron
Belmont
(10) comments
Steve: I agree! When the 2nd Amendment was written, they could no more foresee automobiles and airplanes, than the mass assault weapons of modern times. So, no need for road and air traffic control either?
Jorg, you may want to brush up on the purpose(s) of our Constitution before presenting nonsense comparisons between the right to bear arms and roads and air traffic control.
Mr. Herron,
You might identify me as a right-wing extremist. I am not versed in jurisprudence. Therefore, I am unable to provide an explanation for the SCOTUS interpretation of the Second Amendment. I provide a link to a website for your consideration.
https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment2.html
So that you know, I have many questions about SCOTUS decisions and interpretations as well. For example, how did they find Constitutional support for killing innocents in Roe v. Wade and forcing citizens to buy health insurance in Affordable Care Act? When I asked a very learned
...acquaintance why he so revered the SCOTUS, his reply was, "Because it is all we have."
As an aside, I know many people that vote for DNC candidates, that think like me about their right to own firearms.
Here is another link for those not tied to their uninformed opinions.
https://www.uslawshield.com/key-second-amendment-supreme-court-cases/
Found at the link posted above.
"Which Supreme Court case decided that the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to bear arms for protection?"
"The U.S. Supreme Court decided this in both Heller and McDonald. They stated self-defense is the core of the Second Amendment and that it protects firearm ownership for this reason. It’s important to note that no rights are given by the Second Amendment, it simply protects rights we already had."
Wilfred, thanks for the links - I'll save them for reference. The bigger question is whether those continually screeching about gun control will read them.
Howdy Terence,
Some people want to learn, grow and understand. There are also people claiming to know about everything. The choice is theirs to make and self-evident by what they write.
Steve, first, unless you’re a right-wing extremist, I don’t think you know what they say – just what you think they say. Second, what’s with the missing commas in your version of the Second Amendment? Third, what’s with the “(i.e. the individual states)” insertion? I don’t recall this in the Second Amendment. What I don’t see is your altered interpretation of the Second Amendment. What I do see is “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” People - not individual states.
Steve - except for my LTE's of course, yours is one of the best I have seen for a while. Thank you.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.