The
Other Second Amendment
Believe it or not, I'm going to be
an advocate for gun ownership. Yes, I know that blows
your little
minds, it certainly blew mine, but bear with me as
I explain.
First, for those unfamiliar with the Second Amendment
it does not read as follow:
"YOU get a gun! And YOU get a gun! And YOU get a gun!
And YOU get a gun!"
Yes, I know. The Second Amendment says "the people
have the right to keep and bear arms" but it also has
all them dang "clause" things that make a redneck's
brain
throb.
These clauses are important, too, though the NRA would
have you believe that "a well regulated militia"
means the same thing as "garden
fairies"or "ask your mother". In others
words, something inconsequential to a god-fearing man
with a gun in his hand and justice to mete out.
Hallelujah!
Keep in mind that the "militias" mentioned in Amendment
Numero Dos were far different from the National Guard
we have today.
Back in the "good old days" of the Deep
South the slave states employed ad hoc groups of
armed men
who would keep the slaves in check. I'm guessing that
"shoot to kill" was Chapter One in the Slave-Owner's
Handbook.
Unfortunately for our southern brothers the proposed
Constitution gave the proposed new federal
government
broad
powers when it came to national security and
our southern fore bearers were positively miffed about
the prospect of losing their
favorite sport so, therefore, Tah-dah! Second Amendment.
Still confused? Then perhaps now would be a good time
to inspect the original version of the Second Amendment:
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a
well armed, and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country:
but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render
military service in person."
As you can see, this is not a about individual ownership of guns, to do with
whatever
the people
wished.
It's
about
citizens
of
the
individual states being in service TO the country (which was later changed to
"state", which does NOT mean "country", in case you're a blithering idiot or
a
member
of
the NRA)
with
an
option
to
avoid
such
service
for religious reasons.
Clearly the Second Amendment's intent is not meant to guarantee
guns
to
anyone with a pulse, but this is a free country and guns should be available
to
anyone
who
wants
them,
just
as
are toasters and microwave ovens. But this means the government should be able
to
freely
regulate
them
the
same
way it regulates all potentially dangerous consumer goods. Classic hunting rifles
and
shotguns
would, of course, have
their
legitimate
place
in the world but not handguns or assault weaponry. Those are purely tools of
mayhem no different than a slab of C4 or a van full of ammonium nitrate.
Oh, by the way, the reason Kennedy was assassinated by someone using a single-shot
rifle,
whether from the knoll or the 6th floor,
was accuracy. So if you claim you need an assault rifle to kill Bambi, fuck you!
You
want a gun? Get one. But let's require insurance, registration, and proper training,
anything
that will help take them out of the hands of hotheads, criminals, and the mentally
unstable.
It's a start.
=Lefty=
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