In Defense of the Second Amendment

"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good." -George Washington

In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, I want to share an excellent article from the Patriot Post (see the link at the end of this article).

In a perfect world, we would be at peace with one another. But in THIS world, we need the ability to protect ourselves. The anti-gun, anti-freedom lobby will use the Virginia tech gunman as their poster child for continued assaults on American freedom, but the real answer is MORE armed citizens, not fewer. Only 6 people died in the Trolley Square shooting in Salt Lake City last February, in part because an armed off-duty police officer (a private citizen at the time) engaged the gunman for precious minutes before police teams arrived.

The second amendment is often misinterpreted because of the "well-regulated militia" clause, which some view as allowing only members of the armed forces to own guns. Constitutional Law Professor John Eidsmoe argues that the other rights in the first 10 amendments protect individual freedoms: freedom of speech, religion, due process, etc. Why would the right to bear arms apply to state-sponsored defense? In 1789, many citizens owned firearms and used them for hunting. The founding fathers didn't specifically mention hunting in the second amendment, but this practice still continues today. If the founders had meant to control individual gun ownership, as Constitutional revisionists falsely claim, passage of the Bill of Rights would have been proceeded by confiscation of weapons from all citizens who did not belong to the militia.

The primary purpose of the Constitution is to channel, check and balance political power. The framers did not want America to revert to a monarchy where the abuses of King George could be perpetrated upon their posterity in some future generation. The second amendment right to bear arms represents a final check against government abuse--the very check which the founders took advantage of when all options of peaceful reconciliation were exhausted. Yesterday, April 19th, marks the day when the battles of Lexington and Concord were fought, initiating the American Revolution. That day, patriots stood together and took up arms to defend their rights. In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, I hope patriots will stand together and take up political arms--pens, keyboards, telephones, checkbooks, microphones--and join the fight to preserve those same rights in our generation.

Must read Patriot Post article

God Bless the U.S.A.,
Strategos