The 2nd Amendment:
"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."
Authored by James
Madison and George Mason
Let us start with an important fact. Those who participated in the amendment
process argued the merits and agreed if they win or lose they would accept the
outcome knowing they had 2 (only 2) legal remedies if it did not work; 1) the
amendment process, 2) calling a
Constitutional Convention. They knew
the meaning of the amendments that passed and accepted those meanings. The meaning of the Second Amendment is
that put forth by the writers James Madison and George Mason, along with the
likes of Thomas Jefferson who had input and are rather clear with example
after example.
Critics of the Second Amendment and it’s scope make
erroneous arguments. First they claim,
“the Amendment means less than what others say. They argue “it only refers to those currently in the
militia.” This is clearly wrong as the
writers and supporters spell out the meaning in the writings and written
accounts of there argued defense of.
There is written documentation of the debates prior to the Congress
passing the Amendment and then the amendment being ratified by the
States explaining the Amendment. To say we do not know what they intended is shear ignorance or misrepresentation. Below you will find many examples.
Second they claim “like the 1st amendment there
can be limitations put on it.” The last
4 words of the Amendment, not in any other amendment, are extremely clear as it
is not to be tampered with. It gives no
room to distinguish between a handgun, rifle, automatic weapon, canon, grenade,
and more. It fends off caveats being
placed on it with those last 4 words “shall not be infringed.” Unless the term infringed has changed (it has
not) or we moved into a parallel universe where it means something else, opinion has it, any
federal judge who has sided with gun control legislation has either wittingly
or unwittingly committed some level of Subversion against The United States Constitution as they
have sworn to uphold the Constitution.
Federal Justices either twisted or out of ignorance or self-interest ignored those
last 4 words.
The 2nd Amendment is not to be tampered with and
to do so is Subversion against the USA via the Constitution.
Below see some of the writings of those who at the time
argued for the Second Amendment.
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole
people. To disarm the people is
the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason Co-author of the Second Amendment
during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution,
1788
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the
people themselves …"
Richard Henry Lee writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer
to the Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788.
"The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons.
They are left in full
posession of them." Zachariah Johnson
Elliot's Debates, vol. 3 "The Debates in the Several
State Conventions on the
Adoption of the Federal Constitution."
"… the people are confirmed by the next article in
their right to keep and bear
their private arms" Philadelphia Federal Gazette
June 18, 1789, Pg. 2, Col. 2 Article on the Bill of Rights
"And that the said Constitution be never construed to
authorize Congress to
infringe the just liberty of the Press, or the rights of
Conscience; or to prevent
the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens,
from keeping their own
arms; …" Samuel Adams quoted in the Philadelphia
Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the
Convention of this State"
The Founding Fathers on Arms
"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution
itself. They are the
American people's liberty teeth and keystone under
independence … from the hour the
Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and
tendencies prove that to
ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol
are equally indispensable
… the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil
interference — they
deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
George Washington First President of the United States
"The supposed quietude of a good man allures the
ruffian; while on the other hand
arms, like laws, discourage and keep the invader and
plunderer in awe, and preserve
order in the world as property. The same balance would be
preserved were all the
world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since
some will not, others
dare not lay them aside … Horrid mischief would ensue were the
law-abiding deprived
of the use of them." Thomas Paine
"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 American Statesman, 1788
"The great object is that every man be armed." and
"Everyone who is able may have a
gun." Patrick Henry American Patriot
"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and
debasing degradation, that we
cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the
difference between having
our arms in possession and under our direction and having
them under the management
of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having
those arms, in whose hands
can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to
us, as in our own
hands?" Patrick Henry American Patriot
"Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow
for those who do not."
Thomas Jefferson Third President of the United States
"The constitutions of most of our States assert that all
power is inherent in the
people; that … it is their right and duty to be at all times
armed; … "
Thomas Jefferson letter to Justice John Cartwright, June 5,
1824. ME 16:45.
"The best we can help for concerning the people at
large is that they be properly
armed." Alexander Hamilton The Federalist Papers at
184-8
The Founding Fathers on Maintaining Freedom
"The greatest danger to American freedom is a
government that ignores the
Constitution." Thomas Jefferson Third President of the
United States
"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but
they mean to govern. They
promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
"
Noah Webster American Lexicographer
"The people never give up their liberties but under
some delusion."
Edmund Burke British Statesman, 1784
"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 to James Madison
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve
neither liberty nor safety."
Ben Franklin American Statesman
"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of
arms." (Thomas Jefferson, Proposal
Virginia Constitution, 1 T. Jefferson Papers, 334,[C.J.Boyd,
Ed., 1950])
...to disarm the people - that was the best and most
effectual way to enslave
them." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at 380)
"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed
- unlike the citizens of
other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the
people with arms." (James
Madison, The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244)
"the ultimate authority ... resides in the people
alone," (James Madison, author of
the Bill of Rights, in Federalist Paper #46.)
"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people
before them, may attempt to
tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be
occasionally raised to defend
our country, might pervert their power to the injury of
their fellow citizens, the
people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep
and bear their private
arms." (Tench Coxe in `Remarks on the First Part of the
Amendments to the Federal
Constitution' under the Pseudonym `A Pennsylvanian' in the
Philadelphia Federal
Gazette, June 18, 1789 at 2 col. 1)
I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people,
except for few public
officials." (George Mason, 3 Elliot, Debates at
425-426)
"The Constitution shall never be construed....to
prevent the people of the United
States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own
arms" (Samuel Adams,
Debates and Proceedings in the Convention of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
86-87)
To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of
people always possess
arms, and be taught alike especially when young, how to use
them." (Richard Henry
Lee, 1788
"The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons.
They are left in full
possession of them." (Zachariah Johnson, 3 Elliot,
Debates at 646
"The best we can hope for concerning the people at large
is that they be properly
armed." (Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers at
184-8)
"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 to prevent
the people of The United States who are peaceable citizens
from keeping their own
arms..." (Samuel Adams, Debates and Proceedings in the
Convention of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at 86-87 (Peirce & Hale,
eds., Boston, 1850))
"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its
rulers are not warned from
time to time that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take
arms....The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to
time, with the blood of
patriots and tyrants" (Thomas Jefferson in a letter to
William S. Smith in 1787
(The American Colonies were) "all democratic
governments, where the power is in the
hands of the people and where there is not the least
difficulty or jealousy about
putting arms into the hands of every man in the country.
(European countries should
not) be ignorant of the strength and the force of such a
form of government and how
strenuously and almost wonderfully people living under one
have sometimes exerted
themselves in defence of their rights and liberties and how
fatally it has ended
with many a man and many a state who have entered into
quarrels, wars and contests
with them." [George Mason, "Remarks on Annual
Elections for the Fairfax Independent
Company" in The Papers of George Mason, 1725-1792,
****This last quote is a warning****
"This year will go down in history. For the first time,
a civilized nation has full
gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more
efficient, and the
world will follow our lead into the future!"
Adolph Hitler Chancellor, Germany, 1933aa
No comments:
Post a Comment