The Second Amendment Means What It Says
- Written by Dr. Robert Owens
In the words of AWR Hawkins in Breitbart “When the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 the phrase, ‘well-regulated militia,’ underlined the importance of the words, ‘shall not be infringed.’”
The Second Amendment says, “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.”
It must be remembered that the shot heard round the world which ignited the Revolution was fought by local militias at Lexington and Concord standing strong against the regular army troops of the greatest empire in the world. Without those militias and the privately held guns that made them possible there would have been no Revolution. Because without those militias and the privately held guns that made them possible the colonists would have had no means to resist the tyranny of the king.
To rightly understand the meaning of the Second Amendment first we need to understand, “What is the meaning of a militia.” In the majority opinion for District of Columbia v Heller (2008), Justice Antonin Scalia explained:
Unlike armies and navies, which Congress is given the power to create (“to raise . . . Armies”; “to provide . . . a Navy,” Art. I, §8, cls. 12–13), the militia is assumed by Article I already to be in existence. Congress is given the power to “provide for calling forth the militia,” §8, cl. 15; and the power not to create, but to “organiz[e]” it—and not to organize “a” militia, which is what one would expect if the militia were to be a federal creation, but to organize “the” militia, connoting a body already in existence, ibid., cl. 16. This is fully consistent with the ordinary definition of the militia as all able-bodied men. From that pool, Congress has plenary power to organize the units that will make up an effective fighting force.
We also need to examine what the Founders and Framers meant when they spoke of a militia. When to attempting to explain that the American citizenry had within itself the authority to band together for purposes of repelling tyranny James Madison in Federalist 46 he clearly stated that “ultimate authority… resides in the people alone.”
That he meant this as a guarantee to the people of the means with which to resist tyranny on the part of the government is clear when he goes on to say, “Extravagant as the supposition is, let it however be made. Let a regular army, fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed; and let it be entirely at the devotion of the federal government; still it would not be going too far to say, that the State governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger.”
Here’s what President Trump has to say on the subject:
The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.
The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law-abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple.
It’s been said that the Second Amendment is America’s first freedom. That’s because the Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects all our other rights. We are the only country in the world that has a Second Amendment. Protecting that freedom is imperative.
Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried. Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like “assault weapons”, “military-style weapons” and “high capacity magazines” to confuse people. What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans. Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.
The right of se-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving which is a privilege, not a right then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.
I don’t know about you but I have been waiting to hear an American leader say these things for my whole life.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com © 2018 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens
Excerpt:
We need to examine what the Founders and Framers meant when they spoke of a militia.
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Second amendment, Dr. Robert Owens, concealed carry, universal carry law
