THE 2nd AMENDMENT VS THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
By Thom Palmer
June 15, 2016
"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."
The 2nd Amendment is a simple amendment, consisting of just 27 words. Unfortunately, half of the words are ignored today, the first 13 words.
Long before the Constitution was adopted, in the very document that launched our nation, we had the Declaration of Independence. In that Declaration, clearly announced to the world are the words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The NRA and Republicans in the House and Senate do not have the right to take away our right to life. However, they do, by association and promotion, they are liable for the the infringement of many thousands of citizens right to life, thousands of families pursuit of happiness, and millions of Americans liberty, as fascism slowly grows, and fear causes a reluctance to enjoy the freedom of assembly. They have protected terrorists, foreign and domestic, and are therefore partially responsible for the many mass killings in the United States over the last couple of decades in which assault weapons purchased easily in the United States were used. My opinion is that they are all guilty of aiding and abetting terrorists.
It's a matter of how many kids and innocent people have to die before the GOP decide that the gun profits do not justify human toll. While necessary to protect the new nation from would be invaders, the amendment was adopted. However, it also displays a clear absence of long-term forethought, and should be amended to reflect the current state of the nation, and the world, and re-visited from time to time. It is clear that the founders intended this to be an amendment which provides citizens the ability to defend themselves against the British or any other attacker, and as a deterrent to the British messing with us any further. 'A well regulated militia" does not mean two guys in their garage, planning a mass murder of innocent citizens in order to make a political statement. This is more than clear in the wording of the 2nd Amendment.
INTENT of the Amendment is in play. In 1791 when the Amendment was drafted, a single bullet musket was the state-of-the-art gun. Pistols were around, but even they required about 30 seconds to load and pack the ball into the barrel. I'm sure that if the founders could foresee the ability to fire 50 rounds in a few seconds, they would have been more specific. Clearly, and in light of our war against tyranny in the 16th century, the founders expected our people to defend and protect our new nation from invasion, and to intimidate the British. Had the forefathers been able to see into the future, they would have written the 2nd amendment with a bit more explanation, and instruction to their progeny. It may have been written a bit differently.
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