[arthurus]

LOOK AT THE PLAIN WORDING OF THE 2ND AMENDMENT. The other amendments are specific as to their application. They are prohibitions on Congress and by extension the federal government. The 2nd is the one that is NOT specific. It does not say "Congress shall make no law..." It says The right... SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED." If any entity within the purview of the Constitution with that amendment infringes that right then IT IS INFRINGED by somebody and that contradicts SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. The words of the founders cannot be adduced to provide an interpretation that is in conrtradiction to the words written in the Constitution itself.

[mrsmith]

So you don't care what the Founders said and did?

Well, they meant something to the authors of the Fourteenth Amendment. That's why it had to be written.

Nowadays living constitutionalists can claim the Constitution means whatever it means to them, but there used to be more respect for our Founders.

[mrsmith]

"The other amendments are specific as to their application."

No, several are not. The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth for instance.

The purpose of the Bill of Rights was expressed in it's preamble:
"THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution "