That IS NOT what the 2nd Amendment says. There are 2 primary clauses: 1 allows for a militia, and 2 dictates that the PEOPLE were allowed to keep and bear arms. No where does it make on clause dependent on the other. Why? Because all able bodied males between a given age range are part of the codified. 10 U.S. Code § 311 - Militia: composition and classes Current through Pub. L. 114-38. (See Public Laws for the current Congress.) US Code (a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are (1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; AND, (2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.
I’ll take your word that you are not a “conservative” and you don’t “fear” change. If you want to be an apostle of change then fine by me. But don’t preach change in platitudes. If you believe in it, then be proud enough of this gospel of saint change to proselytize it. I’m interested in your comments about registration. You refer to it as “common sense” and how registration works to let us know where all the cars are. So tell me what you want to accomplish with a gun registration law, and how your law will accomplish it. It’s not that hard if you really believe it.
NOPE! The founding fathers were more concerned with tyrannical government and if you research what they said you would recognize that the people had to keep and bear arms equal to the standing military. "et a regular army, fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed, and let it be entirely at the devotion of the federal Government; still it would be not going to far to say, that the State Governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger.The highest number to which, according to the best computation, a standing army can be carried in any country, does not exceed one hundredth part of the whole number of souls; or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms." It is obvious that DID NOT want a standing military except as a small % of the PEOPLE who also keep and bear arms. (Of equal force as the standing military)
To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence. It may well be doubted that a militia thus circumstanced could ever be conquered by such a proportion of regular troops.” (the people should be armed to defeat a standing military fighting for a tyrannical government) James Madison, author of the 2nd Amendment, Federalist Papers, #46, 1788
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. Thomas Jefferson, proposal to the Virginia Constitution. Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of troops, that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States” Noah Webster, 1787
That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or prevent the PEOPLE of the United States, who are peaceable from keeping their OWN arms.. Samuel Adams The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms, in lawful defense of himself or the State, is absolute. He does not derive it from the state government. It is one of the “High Powers” delegated directly to the citizen, and is excepted out of the general powers of government. A law cannot be passed to infringe upon or impair it because it is above the law, and independent of lawmaking” Cockrum v State, 24Tex394 (1859) When the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1789, federalists claimed the new government would only have limited powers expressly delegated to it. This wasn’t enough for anti-federalists like George Mason, who wanted explicit guarantees to certain rights in order to prevent any potential encroachment by the federal government. One of them was the right to keep and bear arms. Mason wrote: “A well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defence of a free State”
The Founding Fathers, having just broken away from Great Britain, understood the new federal government they were ratifying might one day become just as tyrannical. If it had the authority to control citizen access to firearms, then it could disarm them, just as the British attempted to do. This would make any attempts to restore liberties futile. The Second Amendment was specifically included in the Bill of Rights to prevent this.
As to the meaning of the word “militia,” it has nothing to do with the National Guard. There is already a clause in the Constitution that specifically authorizes arming them. So what is a militia as defined by the Founders? Mason said they were “the whole people, except for a few public officials.” In fact, there was a universal acceptance among both federalists and anti-federalists as to the importance of the right to bear arms. Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 28 that “if the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no recourse left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense,” a right which he declared to be “paramount.” And then there is clause “shall not be infringed.” There is no exception to this contained anywhere in the amendment. Zacharia Johnson, a delegate to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, summed up the meaning of the Second Amendment when he declared that “The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them.” Full possession. Not some. Not most. Full possession of their weapons. The feds were to keep their hands off entirely. The Founders made it very clear what the Second Amendment means. But if we do not fight against any and all attempts by the feds to infringe upon our right to keep and bear arms, then it loses all relevant meaning.
"A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined..." - George Washington, First Annual Address, to both House of Congress, January 8, 1790 "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776 "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787 "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787 "The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson, Commonplace Book (quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria), 1774-1776 "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785
"I enclose you a list of the killed, wounded, and captives of the enemy from the commencement of hostilities at Lexington in April, 1775, until November, 1777, since which there has been no event of any consequence ... I think that upon the whole it has been about one half the number lost by them, in some instances more, but in others less. This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Giovanni Fabbroni, June 8, 1778
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759 "To disarm the people...s the most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788 "I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers." - George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country." - James Madison, I Annals of Congress 434, June 8, 1789 "...the ultimate authority, wherever the derivative may be found, resides in the people alone..." - James Madison, Federalist No. 46, January 29, 1788 "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." - William Pitt (the Younger), Speech in the House of Commons, November 18, 1783 “A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves…and include, according to the past and general usuage of the states, all men capable of bearing arms… "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them." - Richard Henry Lee, Federal Farmer No. 18, January 25, 1788 "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.... The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun." - Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1778
Is there any doubt, even of the gun control nuts, that the FF INTENDED FOR ALL PEOPLE TO BEAR ARMS? The people have a right to keep and bear arms mostly as a defense against tyranny. It should be DEMANDED of every able bodied citizen (or citizen to be) own a firearm capable of stopping tyrannical government.
Yes, it is. Only well regulated militia are expressly declared necessary to the security of a free State. Nowhere is the unorganized militia enumerated as necessary.
red herring. American leftist thought has become reactionary parasitic and statist in many cases. MORE GOVERNMENT, MORE TAXES, etc are the left solutions to just about everything
unlike the right, with their wars on crime, drugs, poverty, and terror. just right wing, Orwellian fantasy.
You may not like to have your gun registered with the Feds which no one has advocated, but Registering people who have the qualification to buy a gun and allowing them to exercise their rights, is fine. We do it with every right in the bill of rights. Your qualifications are always in question if the need arises. http://mn.gov/mdhr/employers/cbgc_occupations.html You need a background check to teach, be a school bus driver, work in a food sevice business with kids,and dozens of other designated occupations . It's laughable anyone should feel that they should not need one to buy a gun any time. What is funnier, you have a traffic offense background check nearly EVERYTIME a Cop pulls you over driving a car. If you are the registered driver of your own car that is pulled over, they know every traffic offense and can easily expand that check to you entire criminal history. You get a background check ! https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/when-you-get-pulled-over-for-traffic-violation--do-373673.html Ha ha p; and you complain about rights to buy a gun. EVERYTIME you use your charge card, there is a financial background check on you. I have more concened that , my personal and private financial and buying information and phone number is sold out to the highest corporate bidder with their own self interest in mind. - - - Updated - - - Booo !
WOW that response danced all around the question....wanna try again? BrianVA asked "So tell me what you want to accomplish with a gun registration law, and how your law will accomplish it." Could you try again please, this is getting interesting.
Wait. Earlier you talked about registering machineguns and cars as an analogy for guns and now were are not going to register guns but people instead? I just want to make sure what you are advocating…. Listen I know very well that we check people when they are pulled over for outstanding warrants and whether their license is suspended. And if they find a gun they check the person who had it to see if they are a felon or not. We do it through an already established NCIC computer system. Tell me how a new “federal department of registering those qualified to have guns” changes anything. It does not appear you have thought this through. Let me help you. What you really are advocating but not explaining it very well sounds like a requirement that every firearm transfer require a background check. Currently the checks are required only for the initial sale from a FFL dealer, and you want to push the requirement into the secondary market. Is that what you are trying to do? Or is it you just want me to show a “pre-approved” card when I show up at the gun shop and dispense with the background check altogether? Either way, the “registration” of a person to have a gun will become less reliable daily because the “registration” is not updated on a daily basis like the NCIC system is (i.e., 6 months after my “all clear registration” and issuance of a card proudly proclaiming I can have a gun I could commit a felony, in which case the “registration” card I still have in my pocket may convince someone who does not know about my new felony that it’s OK to give me the gun—unless they first check with the NCIC system—in which case the registration is totally unnecessary and a waste of everyone’s time). The more I look at it the less and less it looks like “common sense” to me. I don’t see how “registering” me does anything to help (beyond satisfying the curiosity of an irritated governmental minister who wants to see who is trying to get a gun), but perhaps you can enlighten me.
Talk about someone who can't read..... I will say this slowly ..no one has advocated gun registration. That is BS. It is the buyers and sales that need to be regulated with background checks on all gun purchases. Say that slowly three time till it sinks in. It was in the very first statement. Gun registration is not the same as background checks. Say that slowly till it sinks in.
Name me one conservative administration who ever cut the size of government...with a reference. Name one ! http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/presidential-spending-expenditures-by-year/ Notice, no one decreased the size of government over the previous president except Obama. He spent less then Bush.....look at it.
LOL Obamacare didn't decrease the size of government at all. your comment is non responsive, The left want more government, more control and more taxes.
Not at all; some on the left are trying to abolish the right's useless wars on crime, drugs, poverty, and terror, and the income tax.
