reads:
“ 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. ”
The original and copies distributed to the states, and
then ratified by them, had different capitalization and punctuation:
“ 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.
===============================================================
Today the Supreme Court of the United States made a ruling:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91913956
The Supreme Court's decision Thursday to overturn the District
of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns is the high court's
first conclusive interpretation of the Second Amendment since
its ratification in 1791.
The 5-4 ruling strikes down the District's ban on handguns
— one of the strictest in the nation — as incongruent with
the Second Amendment.
===============================================================
For those of us that believe strongly in the Right provided by
the 2nd Amendment....the recent events offer both a good side
and a possible downside. The good news is that "bans" are not
allowed. The bad news is that "certain types of firearms" will
now be or may be re-categorized by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms. Once that action is taken...it may allow
many invasive "regulations and fees" to be applied. Our many
Government Bureaucracies are famous for "Annual License and Fee
Requirements". Sure, if you want a pistol in Washington, D.C
.....no problem now. Just supply your medical and arrest record
since birth. Just supply and pay for a Bio-ID, a DNA sample and
a GPS locator for each firearm! Possible? We will soon see!
What we are saying here...is....it may not be time to celebrate
precipitously. "The well-regulated...." section of the 2nd
Amendment has opened the door to "Firearm Licenses"...in states
like Illinois for example. You can't buy Ammo without it. You
legally can't own a firearm without one! The decision by the
Supreme Court today to support our rights to firearms is a lot
better than not....but what each State, City and County in the
nation does now will be most telling. Our guess is....that the
anti-gunners are well prepared to go on the offensive from both
Houses of Congress, State and Municipal Governments.
Before 1969....before the assassinations of Martin Luther King,
Bobby Kenndy, before the Stockton Schoolyard massacre....before
the shootings of George Wallace, Malcom X and more.....firearms
were an American way of life. Every cowboy, combat or news story
on television featured the use of firearms. At Knott's Berry
Farm they even had mock shoot-outs in the streets! Quick draw
was a way of life and even Sammy Davis Junior was one of the
"fastest guns on earth!" The Colt Peacemaker was a must collector
piece and the M-1 Carbine was a must for every boater in America.
In 1959, while taking a Discussion & Debate Class at USC....we
had to give a speech which included a tangible object. I brought
an "Plugged" British WWII Sten Gun. An automatic 9 millimeter
machine pistol that fought the Nazi's! It was a Model II with a
great "wire" pop on, pop off metal stock! As I rode through the
various streets from 28th Street on my bike...with the Sten slung
on my back....very few even thought anything about it. My father
a few years later found it in the garage and rushed to the local
dump and acted as if he had found nitroglycerin! It was legal to
buy by mail for $19.95 in 1957....out of Mechanic's Illustrated.
Those were the days..when we could leave our doors open on hot
summer nights! We tell this story..not to shock but to illustrate
how things have changed in this country. We bought firecrackers
in Tiajuana, Mexico that were the equivalent of a quarter stick
of dynamite! Why the BATF never regulated those is beyond us!
We solidly believe however that people have a Right to protect
their persons and property. We believe that "bans" on typical
firearms such as: revolvers, pistols and semi-auto firearms
rifle or pistol are against the intent of the 2nd Amendment and
the beliefs of our Founding Fathers! Are we realistic enough
to believe that we now live in the so-called "One World" and
laws will be made to restrict or limit the ownership of firearms,
automobiles or other destructive mechanical devices? Yes!
In the meantime, we cautiously thank the current members of the
Supreme Court for their "findings". Do we believe that this
issue will be addressed in the next five - ten or twenty years
from now? Yes! Will the new finding agree with the one found
today? With a 5-4 vote....anything can happen!
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