| Before Banning Guns, Consider Those Behind 2nd Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Picture in your mind the rough-and-tumble individualists who gave birth to this nation, men who had tamed a wilderness, fought Indian wars and successfully faced down the world's mightiest empire. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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For example, if 200 years from now constitutional scholars are trying to determine whether the Smith Tax Act of 2008 increased or decreased the taxes Social Security recipients paid on their retirement income, knowing that the act came into being as the result of pressure from AARP would pretty much end that debate. This, then, is a vital question when seeking to understand the Second Amendment. For if you know the context in which the Amendment was written, if you know for whom it was written, if you know who was clamoring for it and what were their concerns, then that can help settle any argument of individual rights versus collective rights. The Bill of Rights was written by Congressman James Madison to fulfill a promise made to the Anti-Federalists after pressure from that group had cost him a Senate seat — pressure brought to bear because of his opposition to amending the Constitution with a bill of rights. The Bill of Rights, then, as any history book will confirm, came into being to satisfy the single most suspicious, vociferous, and relentless foes of the new federal government. That is the all-important context in which the Bill of Rights was created. The Anti-Federalists, men filled to varying degrees with fear, mistrust, and loathing of the new federal government, insisted on a bill of rights as additional shackles imposed on that new government. Knowing that alone, knowing that the famous Bill came into existence only to please those most apprehensive of the new government, definitively ends any confusion or debate surrounding the meaning of the Second 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.” There is simply no way on Earth the Anti-Federalists would have surrendered to the new and mistrusted government the right to own any gun they wanted at any time they wanted in any number they wanted. Picture in your mind for a moment the rough-and-tumble individualists who gave birth to this nation, men who had tamed a wilderness, fought Indian wars on and off for 180 years, and successfully faced down the world's mightiest empire. Hold a picture of those men in your head for a moment and then try to imagine them being told that this new federal government would have the power to regulate their ownership of firearms in any manner it saw fit, including imprisoning them for possession of any firearm for any reason at any time. No honest or serious person could ever claim to believe that any part of the American electorate in the 1700s desired federal gun control, let alone the Anti-Federalists who forced the creation of the Bill of Rights. Rick Lynch is a policy adviser for The Future of Freedom Foundation. This week there will be a "Empty Holster Protest" held on about 125 campuses. Students are protesting the concept of "gun free zones" that ban CCW students from living and working unarmed. |
Gun Editorial From Conneticut, no less
by hillbilly 6 Replies latest jw friends
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hillbilly
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nomoreguilt
My wife and I both carry. Me...Taurus PT 111 9mm semi. Her....Taurus 38 Sp.
More power to US!
An intersting side point...I have more power than the state of Michigan. There is no capital punishment here. However, I can capitally PUNISH anyone if I feel threatened.
NMG
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hillbilly
In Michigan, your are required to retreat if you can do so safely.
In Michigan you can not legally protect property with deadly force.
In Michigan it is not strictly against the law to carry a weapon openly... (but you wont make it a city block if you do). Takeing off your coat to sit in a barbers chair? If your covered gun is exposed the police may be called and will charge you with "brandishing"....
In Michigan "brandishing" a weapon can include the weapon "printing" from concealment under your clothes.
Michigan fought the CCW tooth an nail... there are jurisdictions in that state that over enforce the dumbest things. Last election, several counties dumped sherrifs and county attorneys left and right ... as those county officers would not allow the new CCW laws to be applies correctly in their juridictions.
Before the last election I applied for a MI CCW... they have to issue that CCW without reveiw if they make you wait past a certain time period. I happened to be at the court house one day and inquired if my paper work had cleared yet. The clerk OFFERED to show me the file... the County Clerk made a mad dash up and told me i "needed to file Freedom of information" papers to see that file. I excused my self and told her it was not a big deal.... I'd just wait for the mail.
About 2 weeks later I get a letter from the CA's office... "come in before the gun board...yada yada, any questions please call" I did. After 2 days of phone tag I spoke with the old boy>
"What will I need to bring... what do you want to review?" I asked him. "Ahhh.. I cant tell you". After a few minutes I let him know that I PAID HIS wages... now the truth came out.
"WE want to ask you about the INCIDENT at the clerk's office.... I told him he was free to graft my application fee and use it for his re-electection funds. He was pulling this BS on just about everyone who was asking for a CCW permit.
3 months later our CA was looking for a job. The new guy we elected... not a problem. We changed out a anti gun sherrif in that same election.
~Hill
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nomoreguilt
HMMM.Sorry to hear abut your dificulties with the county. Oakland county is very liberal with CCW. We had no problem what-so-ever. It took about 3 weeks to receive them. Yes, you are correct about the carrying aspect and the ramifications of certain aspects of the law. Class we took was very thurough and quite informative. We have no doubt as to our legal rights if we DO need to excercise our protectve rights.
NMG
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hillbilly
I carried as needed until I moved away from Michigan... the state is a liberal wanna be policy wise. If they came up with some socially aware stuff like California (did I say that?) may I could hack it.... they just screw up everything.
If you need help you get the runaround....If you dont need help they are in your pocket.
Oakland county ..suprised. The Detroit metro area pushed pretty hard against CCW... did you guys have to elected a better CA too?
I hear in Gladwin county they will damned near loan a gun while you wait for the papers to clear.
~Hill
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Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit
We both carry for personal safety and for work.
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Deputy Dog
Don't get me started, I live in New Jersey, need I say more?