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Former Justice Stevens: Change 2nd Amendment to Improve Constitution
Breitbart ^ | 2/22/2014

Posted on 02/22/2014 7:37:33 PM PST by Altura Ct.

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has released a new book focused, in part, on "improving" the Constitution through amending the Second Amendment--by making the rights protected therein applicable only to a militia instead of the citizenry at large.

Stevens' book is titled Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution.

As written, the text of the Second Amendment is: "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."

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Stevens believes recent court decisions--notably District of Columbia v Heller (2008) and McDonald v Chicago (2010)--placed too much emphasis on individual rights, rather than on what he believes was the Founding Fathers' primary goal: namely, to answer "the threat that a national standing army posed to the sovereignty of the states."

His solution is to amend the text of the Second Amendment so that it reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms when serving in the militia shall not be infringed."

In other words, the protection of the right becomes collective and is only protected for those serving in the militia.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: 2ndamendment; banglist; dienazidie; hesretarded; johnpaulstevens; secondamendment
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1 posted on 02/22/2014 7:37:33 PM PST by Altura Ct.
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To: Altura Ct.

I actually was not sure he is of the living. There is a high school named for him in of all places San Antonio, TX. Ditto Sandra Day O’Connor. Two of our failed Republican appointees to the bench


2 posted on 02/22/2014 7:40:20 PM PST by Theodore R. (Alas: TX Republicans to endorse Cornball and George P! Stay tuned March 4)
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To: Altura Ct.

More proof that libs have no clue on the founding of the country, or if they do, they despise it.


3 posted on 02/22/2014 7:41:16 PM PST by matt04
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To: Altura Ct.

People like him have been a curse on this nation.


4 posted on 02/22/2014 7:41:29 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Altura Ct.

Good riddance to that cadaver.


5 posted on 02/22/2014 7:42:03 PM PST by Darren McCarty (Abortion - legalized murder for convenience)
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To: Altura Ct.

Lunatic

It was written in the manner it was with the Declaration of Independence as its imprimature.


6 posted on 02/22/2014 7:42:35 PM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: Theodore R.
Apparently he is still among the living.

OBVIOUSLY he has SOME sort of dementia, thinking that HIS ideas of changing our Constitution would be good.

7 posted on 02/22/2014 7:42:45 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: Altura Ct.

Uh...No. Your service is completed, sir. Go in peace, and shut-yer-pie-hole.

The belief that the Second Amendment was in response to the perceived danger a standing army would present to states’ sovereignty is already a reality. WE have that standing army, sir.


8 posted on 02/22/2014 7:42:56 PM PST by PubliusMM (RKBA; a matter of fact, not opinion. 01-20-2016; I pray we make it that long.)
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To: Altura Ct.
I've heard the argument before. Fact is that the libs would wet their pants if we joined a militia.

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."
— George Mason, in Debates in Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788

9 posted on 02/22/2014 7:44:38 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Altura Ct.

At least he threw out his first draft: “The people must be dis-armed so that they may be more thoroughly enslaved by the all-powerful State.”


10 posted on 02/22/2014 7:44:39 PM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: Altura Ct.

What Good Can a Handgun Do Against An Army?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2312894/posts


11 posted on 02/22/2014 7:44:53 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2M for Sarah Palin's next run, what will you do?)
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To: Altura Ct.

See what happens when you spend your life living a lie? What a POS. Is it wrong to wish painful cancer on evil people?


12 posted on 02/22/2014 7:45:07 PM PST by highpockets
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To: Altura Ct.

US law defines all persons not in the National Guard to be members of the militia.


13 posted on 02/22/2014 7:45:49 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Haven't you lost enough freedoms? Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Altura Ct.

So he would transform it from an individual right to a state right. Ooh, the nat’l guard gets to have weapons.

The idea and reasoning is lame and without merit. It is in fact, and obvious rationalization for a power grab.


14 posted on 02/22/2014 7:46:31 PM PST by Valpal1 (If the police can t solve a problem with violence, they ll find a way to fix it with brute force)
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To: Altura Ct.

Problem is (besides the proposal as I’m all for the individual right) without explicitly denying the Federal government the right of regulation and oversight, it’s useless.

The potential upside is an arms race between the 50 states. That be cool.


15 posted on 02/22/2014 7:46:59 PM PST by Usagi_yo (Standardization is an Evolutionary dead end.)
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To: Theodore R.

There are schools named after these idiots?? Well, we have schools named after our moronic leader in the White Hut so this doesn’t surprise me..


16 posted on 02/22/2014 7:47:40 PM PST by max americana (fired liberals in our company last election, and I laughed while they cried (true story))
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To: Altura Ct.

At least he is honest enough to admit that to get his way the Constitution would have to be amended. The Michael Moores and Sarah Bradys don’t.


17 posted on 02/22/2014 7:47:46 PM PST by Dr. Sivana ("I'm a Contra" -- President Ronald Reagan)
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To: Altura Ct.


18 posted on 02/22/2014 7:48:01 PM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: FReepers; Patriots; FRiends









Free Republic is Your Voice and Your Forum!
We Really Need and Appreciate Your Loyal Support!
PLEASE Make Your Donation, Monthly, if You POSSIBLY & RELIABLY can!

19 posted on 02/22/2014 7:49:21 PM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: Darren McCarty

I wish he was, but we should wait for him to die when a republican(tea party) is President to nominate a replacement.


20 posted on 02/22/2014 7:51:30 PM PST by grcuster
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