Guns In America – The Second Amendment

 What would we ALL imagine our forefathers would say if they were witnessing a scant minority of Americans attempting to convince the vast majority of Americans that their right to bear arms is greater than the majorities right to life????

Any discussion on guns in American must begin with a very clear understanding of the Second Amendment to our Constitution.  It is necessary because the amendment has been badly distorted and, unfortunately, those distortions are viewed by millions as facts - as the truth.  It has been used to create the myth that guns are a right  and thus sacrosanct in America.  It is an outright falsehood.

 The founding fathers of this nation were committed to the principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  They emphasized time and again that “life” and protection was the primary role of government and most expressly, protection from violent and forced domination that threatened those principles. 

Our forefathers allowed for only one expenditure of federal funds in the constitution.  They created a militia or armed forces - the military - to protect American citizens from foreign intervention and attacks.  This strongly validated that “right to life” (Being the first principle) is the most sacred precept and, as such, the safety and protection of the citizenry is a paramount responsibility of our government.   

 As outlined in Federalist papers – Essay 29 – the foundation for the implementation of the Second Amendment – a national militia did not have the ability to protect each and every colony from insurrections and violent forceful domination.  As such, Alexander Hamilton proposed the creation of state militias.  The Second Amendment therefore granted the right to bear arms to a people’s militia and THAT THOSE COLONIAL MILITIAS shall not be infringed from arming themselves. 

“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.”  “…of the people…” is where the controversy and the contentiousness has arisen.  Those three words have been used as an argument that the amendment grants the right to ALLLL citizens to own and bear arms.  That argument demands we ignore the very purpose and intent of the amendment.  “A well regulated Militia, being necessary…”  clearly indicates that this MILITIA was to be a PEOPLE’S MILITIA.  As such, those comprising the militia cannot have their right to bear arms infringed upon. Therefore, “…of the people…” was NEVER intended to provide for the false premise that every Tom, Dick and lunatic has a right to own a firearm.  The amendment was enacted to establish individual militias in each of the thirteen colonies for their further and greater protection and NOTHING ELSE !!!! 

Today each and every state has a national guard.  That National Guard is now the “… well regulated Militia” set forth in the Second Amendment.  The amendment is therefore no longer needed or valid in protecting the states.

 Next there is the common-sense reality that our   forefathers could not have had any concept of AR   15s, AK 47s, or automatic hand guns that could be   concealed by clothing.  There were only five foot   long rifles and muskets in 1791.

 Equally as outrageous is the irrational belief that   unless we are all armed, we could never protect   ourselves from a government takeover of rights and   property or even the loss of our lives.  We have   grown from 13 tiny colonies to 50 states. This   country now has a population of over 300 million   people in a geographical size that would make it   virtually impossible for any armed seizure to be   launched by the government. 

Finally, we come to the absolute absurd notion that if the Second Amendment were repealed ALLL citizens would lose their ability to own and possess firearms.  As already seen, the amendment does not grant any, so-called, right to guns.  Like a driver’s license, gun ownership is a privilege NOT A RIGHT!!!  Unless or until there are laws prohibiting the possession and ownership of firearms, no change to that privilege can occur, even if the amendment is repealed.

Many would have us believe this repeal is impossible.  We may have serious disagreements, but let’s never forget that in America anything is possible.  We won two world wars, found a cure for polio and went to the moon.  To believe in impossible is to deprive ourselves of one of the greatest exhilarations in being an American.

Bear in mind that while change can be very slow and arduous in America, it can occur very quickly if we are strongly committed to it.  It took only ten months to secure the three-fourths majority of necessary states to repeal the eighteenth amendment on prohibition.  Can we really accept that we are NOT FAR MORE repulsed over mass murders then we were over not being able to buy a beer?  Americans are far better than that.

The Second Amendment is NOT sacrosanct.  Its implementation was driven by the circumstances and culture of the era in which it was deemed necessary.  It has no valid application in modern America. The Second Amendment now acts as the single biggest threat to our most sacred right; the right to life.  

We MUST begin to further secure our right to life through diminishing the awful gun carnage in America.  That can only begin with the repeal of the Second Amendment.