Heyward Shepherd.
“Don’t you mean his (John Brown) exercise of his Second Amendment rights to resist tyranny?”
I’m a little confused here. You don’t exercise your rights by attacking a federal armory. On October 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown, commanding twenty-two men, attacked the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry along the Potomac River in what is now West Virginia. Brown hoped his raid would spark a slave insurrection and force upon the nation the war that would end slavery. Interesting addition to this is the commander President James Buchanan sent in to re-capture the armory was Colonel Robert E. Lee. “From a speech by Henry David Thoreau, “A Plea for Captain John Brown,” 1859”
There was no tyranny to concerning the second amendment to resist. He went into the armory, thinking the slaves in the area would flock to join him, which never happened. He and his men actually were holding slaves hostage at the time of the attack. In all, sixteen people were killed and ten of his men including two of his sons. He was tried and found guilty of murder and treason with reason. This was not an act of war, but ultimately was part of the causing of one. He was no hero, he was a terrorist.
rwood