THE LIE OF THE 2ND AMENDMENT

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022598985746522423.post-51209307582354343962007-03-03T14:02:00.000-05:002007-03-04T02:03:53.866-05:00THE LIE OF THE 2ND AMENDMENTI need you to think. Gun owners have been defending their rights for quite awhile. Long before Carolyn McCarty's current bill. Long before Bill Clinton's 1994 ban. Some believe that <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0307_0174_ZS.html">United States vs Miller (1939)</a> was the birth of modern gun control. All of that legislation has certainly impacted gun owners, though of course there have been other laws passed. There are literally thousands of laws in America at the federal, state, and local level which affect your right to own and carry a firearm. But for the moment, let's put the legislation aside. Let's forget about House Bill 10-22 and focus on something we all hold dear - the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. Like many of you, I read a lot of blogs and participate in various web forums. And over the years, I have heard many people argue about their right to own a firearm. Unfortunately, many of the arguments I've heard aren't correct. Let's examine a couple of them. 1. "The 2nd Amendment gives me the right to own a gun." ...and a slightly reworded version... 2. "The 2nd Amendment guarantees my right to own a gun." Both arguments are completely wrong. This isn't a matter of opinion, and it's not a matter of semantics. Every time someone tells an anti-gun activist or politician that the Constitution gives them a right to own a firearm, they're wrong. That is not what the Constitution says, and using those two statements in debate actually weakens your argument. I need you to think. Let's look at what the 2nd Amendment actually says. Many people can quote it, but far too many people don't understand it. "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." I can hear someone in the back of the room muttering "What's your point, thorn? It's the same damned thing." Here's the point. And it's very important one: the 2nd Amendment does not GIVE you the right to own a firearm. It forbids the government from taking that right away from you. Semantics? Splitting Hairs? No. Words mean something. And here's what the words of the 2nd Amendment mean: You intrinsically have the right to own a firearm. For whatever reason you choose. Perhaps you enjoy owning a gun because of it's historical nature. Perhaps you enjoy the mechanical aspects and work on them as a hobby. Or perhaps you own a gun to defend your life. It really doesn't matter why you own a gun. The Constitution does not require you to justify it. It doesn't give you a right to own it. What it does do is specifically forbid the government from taking that right away. I need you to think. Your mere existence gives you the right to own a firearm, just as your existence gives you the right to breathe. The right to think, and the right to speak. The Constitution doesn't give you any rights. Rather, it specifically lists the rights that you have which the government is not allowed to take away from you. Here's the point - stop telling people that the 2nd Amendment gives you the right to own a gun. Stating that is also stating that the government has the "right" to take it away. Instead, tell the anti-gun activists, the politicians, the friend, and the co-worker that your right to own a firearm is guaranteed by the fact that you exist.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5022598985746522423-5120930758235434396?l=www.gunpowder-treason.com'/></div>thornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05959114599381295503noreply@blogger.com6