Second Amendment Simplified
The Second Amendment 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." I think it is telling about our country that this Amendment has sparked almost as much controversy as the First Amendment. I guess the Founders wanted to get the tricky ones out of the way upfront.
But the truth is, this one isn't that tricky, at least not for me. It's actually not that tricky for anyone, because no matter what position they take on this issue, there is little room for nuance.
Here's why my non-nuanced view is correct: an angry man with a gun. How stereotypical.
Some random guy stole guns from his mom and planned to drive into San Francisco to shoot up the ACLU and the Tides Foundation. The latter is in the same building as where my girlfriend works. There is no excuse for not promoting gun control. The well-regulated militia of the Second Amendment does not refer to any random gun buyer at a gun show, but only the army or the National Guard.
The key to the interpretation of the Second Amendment is "well regulated." Individuals with guns are not well regulated. The Army and the National Guard are at the very least better regulated than private individuals with private arsenals.
Militia can be a misleading term. The Montana Freemen, and the Darby militia considered themselves militiamen. But they were not regulated, and they were not protecting the security of a free state. They were not heroes. They were assholes.
There are forces in the media that promote hysteria/entertainment in the guise of news. They paint progressive foundations as linked to an inevitable downfall of the country, using trigger words (literally) to whip people into a frenzy. In troubled economic times, people love a scapegoat.
When you fuck up the prospects of rational discussion by whipping people into a "revolutionary" mood, that's bad enough. When you use language that could have put my girlfriend in harm's way, that's beyond the pale.
Before I get too worked up, I'll end with this link. It's time to take a step to close a loophole involving gun shows. Make it harder for people to get guns without legitimate reason.
Guns don't kill people? They can sure facilitate killing people, though.
infringed." I think it is telling about our country that this Amendment has sparked almost as much controversy as the First Amendment. I guess the Founders wanted to get the tricky ones out of the way upfront.
But the truth is, this one isn't that tricky, at least not for me. It's actually not that tricky for anyone, because no matter what position they take on this issue, there is little room for nuance.
Here's why my non-nuanced view is correct: an angry man with a gun. How stereotypical.
Some random guy stole guns from his mom and planned to drive into San Francisco to shoot up the ACLU and the Tides Foundation. The latter is in the same building as where my girlfriend works. There is no excuse for not promoting gun control. The well-regulated militia of the Second Amendment does not refer to any random gun buyer at a gun show, but only the army or the National Guard.
The key to the interpretation of the Second Amendment is "well regulated." Individuals with guns are not well regulated. The Army and the National Guard are at the very least better regulated than private individuals with private arsenals.
Militia can be a misleading term. The Montana Freemen, and the Darby militia considered themselves militiamen. But they were not regulated, and they were not protecting the security of a free state. They were not heroes. They were assholes.
There are forces in the media that promote hysteria/entertainment in the guise of news. They paint progressive foundations as linked to an inevitable downfall of the country, using trigger words (literally) to whip people into a frenzy. In troubled economic times, people love a scapegoat.
When you fuck up the prospects of rational discussion by whipping people into a "revolutionary" mood, that's bad enough. When you use language that could have put my girlfriend in harm's way, that's beyond the pale.
Before I get too worked up, I'll end with this link. It's time to take a step to close a loophole involving gun shows. Make it harder for people to get guns without legitimate reason.
Guns don't kill people? They can sure facilitate killing people, though.
Labels: gun control
posted by Devin at 8:59 PM
1 Comments:
That's really scary, Devin. I'm glad Marina is ok. Funny that the "anti-government zealot" said he wanted a public defender...
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