Sounds great on paper, doesn’t it? What happens though, when a regime that ignores the Constitution takes power?
To say that becasue there were no laws restricting carrying a gun when the 2nd amendment was ratified, is to say that you can only carry guns that existed when the 2nd amendment was ratified.
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.
Just a thought, Did they exclusively mean Guns? In those days swords for self defense were pretty common.
I’m not a constitutional lawyer but I don’t believe that is the case. I believe what the justices were saying is that since the 2A says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed you must look at the laws in place at the time to understand what the authors believed the right to keep and bear arms actually meant at that time.
There were no laws banning the right to posses or carry firearms with equal, and in many cases greater, capabilities than those in military use at that time. In fact it is clear from the writings that the founding fathers intended a well armed citizenry to have the ability to act as a check to a tyrannical government. So that is the standard that should be applied today.
If you don’t like it you are welcome to start the process to amend the constitution to either rewrite or negate the 2A. But you will also have to get 2/3 of the House and Senate to agree with you as well as 3/4 of the States.
I believe it is clear from their writings that they meant all arms. Arms being any and all weapons individuals and armies could use to defend themselves and their nation.
Support organizations that bring suit…will continue to happen past my expiration date…
Of course not. Just look at the privateers and the arms they had on their ships. Many of the heavy arms provisioned to our troops were paid for by private citizens. Until the 1934 NFA, we were “allowed” to have arms, though the most dangerous were out of the price range of common citizens. Even the $200 tax stamp, as I have read, was to make automatic very expensive, so that common citizens could not afford them. Ironically, if you read the ATF regs, non-breach-loading black powder cannons manufactured before 1898 and their replicas are not considered destructive devices and do not need a license to own.
Interesting how the gun community looks to unelected, unaccountable judges to define and protect rights, and not to the unaccountable, incompetent legislators or incompetent, corrupt chief executives.
I think that was the purpose of the original designers of our government. In order to make sure that if one or more branches got out of control they made it so one of the other branches would have the ability to reign the others back in. It seems to be sorta working in a dysfunctional family kinda way at the moment. Not sure I have a lot of faith that it is going to continue to function in the future.
We do seem to be in the middle of a true forth turning event. If that’s the case then we have about 10 more years of chaos before something new comes along.
We don’t, but when our legislators do not, what other choice do we have?
I hound my State reps and always get the same form letter reply, “We know what’s best for the citizens of NV but we will keep your thoughts in mind”
Whether you win or lose in court depends on: (1) the judge who rules on your case (who is in office for life BTW); and, (2) how much of your own money you are willing and able to spend fighting against the government agency who you must sue to defend your rights (a government agency that can draw from an unlimited taxpayer-funded legal warchest and an army of government lawyers).
That’s not how a balanced government should work in my view. That’s also why Israel is going through debate about the powers of its judiciary.
The check is in the mail.
We’re here from government to help.
I promise to respect you in the morning.
We know what’s best for the citizens of NV.
We will keep your thoughts in mind.
Hmmm There’s a common thread here.
Here is a link to my thread that is related to yours and something a lot of people don’t know: The reason for the 2nd amendment - #122 by I_am_Harry