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To: Crim
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.

Oh Good Lord, a two comma version.

Of course the original version had only one, between "state" and "the right". But several "near" original versions, including those sent to the states for ratification, had 3. The one common version is the most grammatically correct, but the 3 comma version has the two extras where one might pause for breath when reading the one comma version. Commas have two functions, one is that "pause ", the other as a logical separator.

But there are two rights protected. The right to keep arms and the right to bear arms. There is no collective right. The right can of course be exercised simultaneously by groups of individuals, along with the first amendment's right of peaceable assembly.

A bunch of Texas (and New York, Colorado and Minnesota maybe others all are welcome) FReepers have now done this twice, and we'll do'er again come May. We do it in Memory of FReeper Texas Cowboy, and 'cause we have a good time doing it. Before TC passed on, a subset did it with him, just 'cause it is fun. I had the high privilege and distinct honor to participate in one of those early gatherings. (but not the first :( ) We've even been known to have "children" (who no longer are that little anymore) firing machine guns at these affairs, and to fire .50 caliber rifles too. :)

643 posted on 11/10/2007 4:29:48 PM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: El Gato

Want to know something funny? The Parker decision quotes the 2A twice withing the body of the decision ... and each quote has a different number of commas.


653 posted on 11/10/2007 5:25:05 PM PST by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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