Amen!

Nice!

The 1775 Revolution was about the King making it illegal to independently sell tea not bought wholesale from the King's official Tea Merchant. The people had superior tea at a fairer price but the East India company was losing business. By April 1775 the Revolution was already well in motion.

The 2nd Amendment was offered in lieu of a standing army and is no longer required for the original reason. I think people have a right to a weapon as long as criminals have them, but that should be a local decision, not a convoluted old Federal rule.

LTE writer: The Redcoats weren’t just out for a march that day and happened to have some bad luck by running into some disgruntled farmers. They were on their way to confiscate the colonials’ guns.

Indy: This is a good example of living in the folklore past where many conservatives till believe their small militias training in the heartland forest are going to remove the US government and are willing to sacrifice about 10,000 Americans per year in senseless gun violence.

Since the days of Viet Nam, some 400,000 people have been killed by guns in the US including those elementary school children in New Town as well as the ‘movie goers’ in Colorado.

All of this to support some ancient idea that America still exist as it did in the 1700s . . . including the ignoring that those folks have single shot muskets not military style assault weapons.

Ahh yes WIndy, I think you even you can exaggerate much better than that!? How about thinking through a realistic example of conservative beliefs? Sheesh...

Excellent response to Tammy's opinion column, Brian!

Hey Ricketzzz, it's not too late to go back to school. Hello...

Indy,

Since the government's firepower has increased dramatically over the years from single shot muskets, don't you think the people's weapons should also evolve so we can continue to defend ourselves against government tyranny as the constitution meant for us to. Do you really think the American people should stil have some single shot weapon while the government has RPG's and sophisticated weapons systems?

I should be able to own RPGs and Predator drones, too, right? Grenades, missiles, land mines, tanks, armored vehicles, you name it, I want it...

2nd Amendment says I can own 'em...right?

"Don't you think the people's weapons should also evolve so we can continue to defend ourselves against government tyranny as the constitution meant for us to.

OMG THAT WAS THEN THIS IS NOW????????

The Constitution makes it clear that anyone who raises arms against the govt of the USA is guilty of treason, not exercising a right enshrined in the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence is a pamphlet, not law.

Ladi, this may come as a shock to you, but history repeats itself when folks aren't paying attention to the lessons of the past.

chefgirl358,

From listening to the scholars on the 2nd Amendment, it appears the US at that time was interested in not having a ‘standing army’ and thus used the citizen militias to have ready access if indeed invaded by a ‘foreign’ army.

Thus, the statement to have such people manning the militias have access to their weapons.

That’s no longer the case.

Our military is now the sole defender of the US.

So I’m opposed to having regular people in the public have access to such improved weapons of war including military style assault weapons.

But I’m still puzzled why a few Americans believe that we should forcibly overthrow our own government when other nations like us including England, Japan, and Australia, there appears to be no such concern as you voice even though those nations have very strict gun laws.

Why is that?

And do you believe the Americans in our military would turn their guns on you?

Historically, totalitarian regimes have passed gun control legislation, which was later followed by confiscation, with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during World War II (as well as some communist states) being well known examples.[28][29][30] Once the Nazis had taken and consolidated their power, they proceeded to implement gun control laws to disarm the Jewish population and wipe out the opposition, and the genocide of disarmed Jews, gypsies, and other "undesirables" followed.

And do you believe the Americans in our military would turn their guns on you?

WIndy, care to comment on Kent State?

Hey Stevoreno, you dodged this question on another thread so here goes again:

At what point during pegnancy is it unacceptable to abort a fetus?

"From listening to the scholars on the 2nd Amendment, it appears the US at that time was interested in not having a ‘standing army’ and thus used the citizen militias to have ready access if indeed invaded by a ‘foreign’ army. "

That is indeed one of the reasons, but not the only one. FWIW, they were not opposed to a standing navy, since (at least then) you couldn't easily turn a navy against its own people.

Other reasons:

"well regulated" southern militias were really just gangs that hunted escaped slaves. Southern states wanted a constitutional garanantee that these gangs could not be disarmed.

Lacking (or even with) a professional army you are at an exteme disadvantage if most people show up unable to shoot. Any sort of militia or national guard type defense requires an armed populace that know how to use the tools. This is actually the reason the NRA was formed after the Civil War. Many northern recruits showed up and couldn't shoot, virtually all southern recruits were decent marksmen -- the results were not pretty.

Defense, not just against a foreign army but also against theives, brigands and what we now like to call "terrorists". Oh, and Indians - being able to put down Indian uprisings was important.

Certainly a check on the rise of a tyrannical government. Maybe that applies less today since the balance of power is clearly in favor of our professional standing army, but even now it still has a purpose. If our government went nuts, declared martial law and started running amok the citizens firearms could ot stop them. Over time though tanks and fighter planes would have a hard time holding the country against a determined citizenry with 300,000,000 guns.

"Paranoia runs deep, into your hearts it will creep."
Yes, the government is coming to get you all. Be very afraid!!!!!!!!!!!
In the meantime, pardon me while I live my life.

@leftofliberal:

Interesting that you quoted from a '60s Buffalo Springfield (For What It's Worth) song protesting aggressive police enforcement that infringed on rights. No doubt you thought it facile but it illustrates the opposite point you intended.

“After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the supreme power then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence; it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.” –French historian Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

technologist: Love your post.

At least get the lyrics right:

"Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep"

@whataplace: Alexis de Tocqueville described it as "soft despotism".

Alexis de Tocqueville was prescient; he describes a bloated, collectively unconscious, sedated by TV, united by Fear, sorry excuse for the descendants of Rebels (and unsatisfied little brothers). But he saw what anyone who moves no faster than his ability to understand what he is seeing. We will keep driving fast blind until we run hard into a "brick wall".

The oppressors don't need guns to bring down the USA; control of the TV set will work just fine, thanks.