[GulfBreeze]

He sure likes the adjective “infantile”. He used it a lot.

Anyway, he seems to be pushing the edge of kookville prety hard to me. I am all for gun rights but as much as I may get flamed for it, I don’t think the constitution protects your right to own a suitcase nuke.

I do believe your unhindered ownership of rifles, shotguns handguns and a whole lot more is protected.

[tpaine]

If a politician [your fellow FReeper] isn't perfectly comfortable with the idea of his average constituent, any man, woman, or responsible child, walking into a hardware store and paying cash—for any rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, anything—without producing ID or signing one scrap of paper, he isn't your friend no matter what he tells you.

If he isn't genuinely enthusiastic about [you] his average constituent stuffing that weapon into a purse or pocket or tucking it under a coat and walking home without asking anybody's permission, he's a four-flusher, no matter what he claims.

"-- he seems to be pushing the edge of kookville prety hard to me. I am all for gun rights but as much as I may get flamed for it, I don't think the constitution protects your right to own a suitcase nuke.
I do believe your unhindered ownership of rifles, shotguns handguns and a whole lot more is protected.

You're "pushing the edge of kookville" by comparing possession of a "suitcase nuke" to owning and carrying arms.

Why? -- You claim "I am all for gun rights, but", -- but what, [besides nukes] -?

[William Tell]

GulfBreeze said: "I don’t think the constitution protects your right to own a suitcase nuke."

How about jet fighter planes and 2000 pound bombs? It's not unreasonable to expect that our Founders could not anticipate every technological development.

But our Founders did foresee the need to amend the Constitution from time to time.

YOU don't get to change the clear meaning of the Constitution just because the Founders didn't anticipate a new development.

Tench Coxe wrote at the time of "the unlimited power of the sword". Our Founders envisioned no limits on the people's right to be armed. You may certainly make the argument that they should have. You may make the argument that they would if they knew of today's developments.

But it is outright nonsense to claim that the Constitution empowers the federal government to disarm the people in any way whatever. That is not what the Founders said and it is not what they meant.

While you mull this over, keep in mind that any enemy who is dedicated to your destruction will recognize no limits whatever on the force they will use against YOU.

Our government, in its misguided attempt to deny machine guns to the Branch Davidians, used machine guns, armored vehicles, pyrotechnic grenades, and poisonous gas.

[TalonDJ]

Anyway, he seems to be pushing the edge of kookville prety hard to me.

Oh? You say he is near kookville. But you also said:

I do believe your unhindered ownership of rifles, shotguns handguns and a whole lot more is protected.

But HE said this:

any man, woman, or responsible child, walking into a hardware store and paying cash—for any rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun, anything

So either you agree with him and you think you are also near kookville, or you are misrepresenting your belief in the second amendment. He did not say anything about nukes.

[Clemenza]

I do believe your unhindered ownership of rifles, shotguns handguns and a whole lot more is protected.

Not in New York or New Jersey, where I must apply for permission to OWN a handgun.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

>>I don’t think the constitution protects your right to own a suitcase nuke.<<

Does the first amendment apply to letters typed in MS Word, or only to ones written on parchment paper with quill pens?

[mamelukesabre]

Small arms.

It’s that simple, man. Get a clue. Anything that is issued to the basic army infantryman should be available to any citizen no questions asked. That means pistols, M16s with 3 round burst, grenades, submachineguns, etc, and no mag capacity limits.

Long range sniper rifles, recoiless rifles, shoulder fired rockets, heavy turret mounted machineguns and anti material guns would represent a grey area.

Obviously, anyone with half a brain would recognize that the average citizen should not be able to walk into a hardware store and purchase weapons of mass destruction. That is a no brainer. DUH!

[Nakota]

At the time the Bill of Rights was drafted the term “arms” was generally understood to be small arms, carried on one’s person; i.e. pistols, long arms and edged weapons.