Posted on 10/08/2005 11:23:32 AM PDT by Whyarentlibsred
Amendment II: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Upon reading the above, it is clear to me that the first part of the Second Amendment A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, no longer applies to the situation in America today and should be changed to better reflect valid reasons for allowing citizens to keep guns in the United States. While things may have been different in the 1700s, the days when ordinary citizens armed with light weapons (rifles and handguns) can assemble and defeat a professional military are long over. There is now a vast disparity between the amount of firepower that the average gun owner on one side, and the U.S. military on the other, could bring to a hypothetical fight, and historically even the successful guerilla movements that drove away professional armies possessed more weapons than just long arms. For example, the Afghan guerillas who defeated the Soviets possessed recoilless rifles, RPGs, and Stinger SAMs, all weapons that are banned by law from U.S. citizens today. Besides, the National Guard already fulfills the function of a State Militia, and the existence of the National Guard has almost nothing to do with guaranteeing a citizens right to bear arms. Because of these reasons, it is clear that using a well-regulated militia to defend the state as a reason to allow people to keep guns is outdated.
A much better reason to allow people to keep guns is so they can defend themselves from criminals, as demonstrated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. After Katrina, it wasnt the government people were worried about, it was armed gangs of their fellow American citizens looting and raping that were a threat to them. The government has enough checks and balances in place to take care of itself; if some Commie dictator did win the presidency I cant see the mainly conservative military following any orders to disarm the people or send all conservatives to reeducation camps. However, when it comes to defending his family from the ravages of his fellow citizens, a man has no choice but to rely on his own weapons. The police wont always be there for you, but as long as concealed carry is legal, your gun will be. I think the Second Amendment should be changed to reflect this fact, that the security of the state is up to the military, but personal security is up to the nations individual citizens. I think a better Second Amendment would read An individuals ability for self-protection being necessary to a secure society, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Sure, the original intent of the founders may have been to allow citizens to form militia, and to protect against the government, but I think this bit of Constitutional reconstruction to reflect the reality that fellow citizens are more of a threat than the government ever will be is justified.
Very good point.
ping
Your post says it all.
You've got to be kidding me.
What was Ruger thinking?
All the problems with the Second Amendment stem not from the amendment itself, but with the fact that so many people either don't understand what it says, or ignore it completely.
The Second Amendment is not really about militias, though it mentions them. It is not just about guns, either. It says:
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed
Here's a few things to note:
A lot of people are uncomfortable with what the Second Amendment says and means. They try to sweep parts of it or all of it under the rug of being "sensible" or "what the framers meant". Well, the framers meant what they said, and the Second Amendment means what it says.
We don't need to "reform" the Second Amendment. We need to start abiding by it again.
Plain and simple.
Government has and will ALWAYS be a bigger threat to the Citizens of this country than criminals will ever be.
The second amendment, if it is reformed at all, should read as follows.
No Citizen of this Country will be denied the use of firearms and weaponry that is available to the Armed Forces and the Police Forces of the United States.
Then why didn't you say that right off, jerk?
Typical lazy, sneaky liberal going to a government school. Do the research yourself.
Typical liberal or Dummy troll ( the teacher) who wants to "rewrite" the 2nd amendment and has never been outside of this country (except to a Paris cafe) or been in combat or owned a gun!
I'm in my usual good mood.
I never said that
woops my bad....too much jogging gives me brain damage...
So we can verify, please post your teachers phone number.
The whole problem today is the Federal Court system was in the hands of liberals so long that they failed to do their constitutional duty, which is to declare a law unconstitutional when it infringes on the Constitution as written.
Exactly, and I don't want to see the Constitution with a bunch of amendments, because that bunch of traitors in DC would take advantage of their ability to modify it when they needed it to their advantage. There is; however, one thing that I would endorse seeing modified, and that's to put term limits on the Justices that have life time appointments. That way when we had Justices in office that were legislating from the bench, we could get rid of them. IF it were changed today, we would be able to get rid of most of those Justices.
"Question: Is the following an authentic Hitler quotation?
"This year will go down in history. For the first time a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future."
--Adolph Hitler, 1935
" Answer: No, it's a hoax. At least nobody has been able to verify it. "
Link --- www.jpfo.org
Maybe thinking with their "softer" side! (LOL)
Seriously, though, I just posted any pistol I came across. I am a Sig man myself.
Lucky for us, your hypothetical amendment has zero chance of ever coming to pass.
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