If you believe our 2d Amendment rights include owning and operating a F-18 fully armed, then you are right. If the 2d Amendment means that law abiding citizens have a right to arms which on their own do not threaten the stability of our society, then those rights are in no danger. Law abiding citizens have no reason to fear their government. We are still the greatest nation on earth and still a nation with the greatest Constitution ever written. But along with freedom comes responsibility. Governments have a two-fold responsibility: First to protect the rights of its citizens, and second to provide a safe and secure society. Not one right enumerated in our Constitution is completely unfettered. That includes both the First and Second Amendments.
The key to understanding our point of view lies in identifying "What do we wish to be restricted/punished?" The instruments {endless possibilities} used to commit evil? Or the evil man / evil act itself?
In other words, governments should never act to prevent any crime, accident or other nefarious incident. It should only act afterwards. Sorry, can't subscribe to that.
"Shall not be infringed" has become "May be infringed upon". {for the common good, peasant!}
"It should only act afterwards. Sorry, can't subscribe to that."
OUR government, without a doubt, is doing it's best to MAKE criminals out of the law-abiding. Are you really naive enough to doubt this? If so, I have some personal sec. 922 questions to enter as evidence.
The Second Amendment was to prevent the Government from getting too stable, that is tyrannical.
Here's a little quote from a liberal's liberal, and from your era too, or a bit before perhaps.
"Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. This is not to say that firearms should not be very carefully used, and that definite safety rules of precaution should not be taught and enforced. But the right of citizens to keep and bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible."
Democratic Senator Hubert Humphrey, February 1960 issue of GUNS Magazine.
As you know he later won the 1968 Democrat nomination for President
Wrong, the government does things every day to give reason to fear it. Ruby Ridge and Waco are a couple of reasons to. The no knock warrant searches that have killed innocent people is another. The GOVERNMENT should fear CITIZENS. How can it do that if we are barred of the same weapons that it would use on use if we tried to use our Constitutionally protected right to rise up against it?
Watched Minority Report a few too many times? Why not just make the US a police state and put cops in everyones home? That would prevent crimes and nefarious incidents. Tell me how you prevent an accident? Force everyone to take the bus or train? They have accidents. Stop weather from happening? Preventing accidents is impossible.