Citizens or subjects?

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

This is the week we find out;

D.C.'s Gun Ban Gets Day in Court

Despite mountains of scholarly research, enough books to fill a library shelf and decades of political battles about gun control, the Supreme Court will have an opportunity this week that is almost unique for a modern court when it examines whether the District's handgun ban violates 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.

About as straightforward as it gets.

[ImnoMensa]

I've got my fingers crossed.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

...is an historic case, along the lines of Roe/Wade, Dred Scott, Miranda and a few select others. We are seeing a FUNDAMENTAL right decided by our Supreme Court; not something about golf carts or some sort of tortured interpretation about the EPA's responsibilities.

Citizens or subjects? This is a big deal.

[RadioPatrol]

IMHO

......... this is where we start that long road towards Gun Confiscation and total gun ownership losses .........

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by RadioPatrol

IMHO

......... this is where we start that long road towards Gun Confiscation and total gun ownership losses .........

...started down that road a long time ago yet this case may be the first big step back towards individual freedom and liberty.

[ImnoMensa]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...started down that road a long time ago yet this case may be the first big step back towards individual freedom and liberty.

We are only going down that road if the Supreme Court makes the wrong decision. Hopefully they dont. This is the big one.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

...insane.

Levy said the next targets will be handgun laws in Chicago and New York City, although the court has never held that the Second Amendment is applicable to states. And one legal theory is that the provision is a restriction only against the federal government.

D.C.'s Gun Ban Gets Day in Court

Can you imagine if some azzhat stood up and argued that the 1st amendment only applied to the federal government??? It's like, did you miss Bill of Rights 101???

I think that a holistic look at the 2nd Ammendment, taking into account the words and writings of the time, will show that it is an individual right. The ammendment solved two problems for the Founders. They knew that an unarmed populace was subject to whatever evils their government wished to dump on them. In order for freedom to be maintained, the people had to have the ability to fight back. I think the concept of a militia at the time was the people forming up to fight as a group, and since it was unlikely that a government would be willing to pay to arm a group that would fight against it, the people had to have their own arms. Ensuring that individuals always had firearms meant that a militia could be quickly raised if needed, and the government would always be at risk if they tried to trample the peoples' rights, which was what the intent of the Founders was.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bruzilla

I think that a holistic look at the 2nd Ammendment, taking into account the words and writings of the time, will show that it is an individual right. The ammendment solved two problems for the Founders. They knew that an unarmed populace was subject to whatever evils their government wished to dump on them. In order for freedom to be maintained, the people had to have the ability to fight back. I think the concept of a militia at the time was the people forming up to fight as a group, and since it was unlikely that a government would be willing to pay to arm a group that would fight against it, the people had to have their own arms. Ensuring that individuals always had firearms meant that a militia could be quickly raised if needed, and the government would always be at risk if they tried to trample the peoples' rights, which was what the intent of the Founders was.

...any rational or reasonable discussion to come away from the bill of rights, in any context or contortion with anything BUT a clear understanding that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, same as everything else in the document.

This is a seminal moment in American history; to reestablish a bedrock principle of individual freedom and liberty.

The only case the gun control folks has is the words "A well regulated militia", which they view as an organized group like the National Guard. But their case lacks merit when you take into account that when the ammendment was written there was no national guard units, just the Continental Army and groups of citizens.