Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Second Amendment Does the 2nd Amendment help or hinder your gun rights

As an outside observer I often think that the 2nd Amendment makes a lot of American shooters sit back and do nothing. <P>Yet, the gov't has done plenty that suggests it is not hard to go against the 2nd Amendment.<P>After all, if the 2nd Amendment was rock solid it would not have mattered whether Bush or Gore won the election.<P>What do you think? <P>Mike<P> <BR>

The Second Amendment was intended by the founding fathers to be a protection of individual civil liberties. Without going into a long dissertation on the historical context of the discussions leading to its implementation, suffice it to say that it was included into the Original Bill of Rights.<P>That, my friends, says a whole lot. The Bill of Rights' entire purpose is to guarantee INDIVIDUAL liberties. It does not guarantee the state the right to freedon of speech, of assembly, of the press, of religion, of protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, etc., etc. It guarantees it to "all persons" or "the people" (which is broader language even than citizens). <P>As such, the anti "interpretation" of the Second Amendment as guaranteeing the state the right to keep and maintain a militia, as opposed to the individual the right to keep and bear arms, is simply hogwash. It is a quite transparent stretch of the truth, or deliberate misinterpretation, that any objective and trained legal scholar will readily identify. <P>In that sense, the Second Amendment should be as solid as the first, fourth, fifth ... whichever. That is to say, it SHOULD receive just as much protection from the courts, and can be changed only by amendment of the Constitution!<P>The problem is politics. We all saw in the Klinton years how little truth and integrity have to do with power and governing, which is to say, if we get a left-leaning Supreme Court, the Second Amendment is in trouble. If we get a right-leaning Supreme Court, we're probably OK. It's sad that we have to play the political game, and we can't just say, "Hey, it's in the BILL OF RIGHTS. OF COURSE it has to be an individual liberty. That's ALL the Bill of Rights is ABOUT. DUH!" That's why we all need to support the NRA. Love 'em or hate 'em, they have the political clout to get things done, and their resolve on this isse is unquestioned. Heck, sometimes it can put people off (Bush Sr., for instance).<P>So, here's my hope. The issue has not been dealt with head-on by the Supreme Court ... yet. With the increasing anti movement, it seems bound to happen sooner or later. If Dubya can appoint one, maybe up to three, conservative Supreme Court Justices, I get a feeling the Supreme Court might accept a Second Amendment case and set some precedent. THEN we'd have taken a big step toward preserving our right to keep and bear arms.<P>If Dubya doesn't get a chance to appoint a Justice and loses in 2004 to a Democrat ...<BR>God help us, brothers and sisters.<P>Suppport the NRA.<BR>Go Dubya<P>Rick

Mike: If the Second Amendment was never written into Our Constitution. We'd have been a police state back in the 1800's. Without constant vigile, we'll soon become a police state.<P>Phil

Mike375, I think that the 2nd Amendment has caused gunowners to become lax in their patriotic duty to defend this nation from eneimies both foreign and domestic. It seems we have as many domestic enemies in Washington D.C. as we have around the world.<P>A recent letter reply from one of our communist Senators told me a lot about the thinking these socialist operatives we call "government officials" have.<P>I wrote regarding a ammo magazine capacity law he voted on. I wrote that he was going against the 2ndAmendment and his oath to uphold the Constitution. His reply was " How would his vote infringe on my 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms? After thinking about his reply (I was steamed), technically he was right. He would be technically right in his thinking that if I could only own a Ruger# 1, A Thompson Contender, or a NEF single shot rifle or shotgun, I would still have the RKBA that is outlined in the 2nd Amendment. <P>The founding fathers gave everything they had to establish this country, and we can't muster up enough guts to write a letter, make a phone call, or vote. I believe that some that frequent these boards don't even bother to vote, and are more concerned with the price of gas, Monday night football, and if they can drink beer on the weekend, than they are defending their freedom.<P>For those that want to do something, here is a website that will tell you how. It takes only 10 minutes per week.<P><A HREF="http://www.directedfire.com/AboutDirectedFire.html" TARGET=_blank>www.directedfire.com/AboutDirectedFire.html</A><P><P>------------------<BR>ALL THAT IT TAKES FOR FREEDOM TO PERISH IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING------CHAINSAW

The sad fact of the matter is, the constitution and bill of rights is only a piece of paper. To be a living document, it requires the citizens and govermnet to follow it. It really doesn't matter what the bill of rights says if the gestapo goes out tomorrow to disarm the populace, and the courts support them, then the 2nd amendment is just a historical curiosity. <P>The real problem is apathy, most folks don't care, or care to see the real threat that faces us. Unless its at their front door, they aren't going to do a thing, and even then, most will cower and cave.<P>Unless we get pro-active, we're done for.<P>