USA – -(Ammoland.com)- In my opinion, the Second Amendment is about National Security and only guarantees the right to keep and bear Assault Rifles.
The Constitution ratified in 1788 contains The Army Clause, the Militia Clause and the Organizing the Militia Clause.
The lack of a standing army and small state-controlled militias left the nation vulnerable. And, many Founding Fathers believed an armed citizenry was the best defense against tyranny. I deduce that the intent of the Second Amendment was to solve those two issues. An armed citizenry to aid the militia in defense of the nation in the event of insurrection or invasion and to join with fellow citizens to defend the nation against tyranny.
Explicit is the right to keep and bear arms. Implicit is the kind of arms. To aid the militia, and to defend against tyranny, the arms that citizens keep and bear arms. must be compatible with arms carried by soldiers, not robbers. That right encompasses current arms and arms for individual soldiers that may be created by new technology. In 1791, soldiers were armed with muskets. Today, individual soldiers are armed with Assault Rifles.
Technology does not mitigate any constitutionally guaranteed right. The right to keep and bear is not limited to arms technology in common use in 1791 when the Bill of Rights was approved any more than a free press is limited to printing technology at that time.
Regarding the Bill of Rights, absent is an explicit right to self-defense. That Right is implicit in the Declaration of Independence.
Regarding the Second Amendment, I do not recall any consideration of licensing to purchase or carry, hunting for food or for sport, stand your ground, registration, private militias, castle doctrine, survival prepping, home defense, background checks or competitive shooting.
The Second Amendment intent is to guarantee an armed citizenry to aid the militia in defense of the nation, and to defend the nation against tyranny. To perform those tasks, the citizenry must keep and bear current technology arms.
Today, that would be the “Assault Rifles”.
Marshall Sprague
[email protected]
To those who do not comprehend the basics of the “English Language.” assault is not a noun, or a pronoun. It is by it is by it’s very nature a verb.
Merry Christmas, and keep your powder dry.
hb
I know your intent was positive, but all you added was your personal misperceptions of what an “assault” weapon happens to be. The stupidty of your post is highlighted in your last sentence where you assert a water gun is an assualt weapon. Asserting that something that is capable of assisting in the process of committing an assault is an “assault” weapon reallys reflect almost zero insight into the ongoing assault weapon debate.
Laddyboy, the issue addressed in the opinion piece was his belief that the 2nd Amendment applied military weapons to the people (which I also believe). Samuel Adams, in a letter to James Warren in 1776 said, “It is certainly of the last Consequence to a free Country that the Militia, which is its natural Strength, should be kept upon the most advantageous Footing. A standing Army, however necessary it may be at some times, is always dangerous to the Liberties of the People. The Militia is composd of free Citizens.” This is explicit language that the militia be kept at… Read more »
The term “Assault Rifle” is inaccurate, although some by now loosely know what you are referring to. FYI..All firearms (rifles, handguns etc.) are ‘Assault’ type weapons, no matter what caliber…. even the antiquidated muskets used by our forefathers. Possibly a ‘more correct’ and accurate term should have been “Semi Automatic” to describe and refer to the modern day ‘crop’ of military type rifles, my son’s water gun is actually an assault weapon
We the people ARE the Military. Why is it Liberals don’t want the people to have AR-15,or any assault rifle. In time of conflict these Liberals want a Military that is Prepared.
I one concern with your editorial. The Militia IS made up of the People of the area who had their own or borrowed weapon(s). The Militia usually consisted of “land owners”.