Throughout 1789 the newly founded United States of America thought it necessary to clarify the limits of government. In September of 1789, 12 amendments were raised before Congress but only 10 received the 3/4ths vote necessary to be ratified in December 1791. These Ten Amendments, or Bill of Rights, have remained in place since 1791. Our Bill of Rights has become part of the foundation in which this country is built and the envy of most of the free world. Although each of the 10 Amendments is equally important, the 2nd Amendment is the focus of this discussion.
Amendment II
“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.”
Our Founding Fathers knew the threat of a tyrannical government was real. The measures put into place were meant to give the people a fighting chance, whether the threat is foreign or domestic. The statement is simple and does not place any restriction on that right. The final few words speak loudest to me”…shall not be infringed”. This was clearly and unequivocally meant to keep the government from limiting this RIGHT. Think about that! No other Amendment has this statement. Why do you think that our Founding Fathers felt the need to add this statement? They clearly intended the need to empower the people, not the government.
Challenging The 2nd Amendment
Today, there are many threats against the 2nd Amendment and sadly they come from within our own government. I am not writing this post to argue with anyone as my stance is clear and it will not be changed. In and of itself, the gun is not the issue but the person behind the gun is. Take drunk driving as a comparison. A vehicle will not kill anyone unless someone gets behind the wheel and operates that vehicle under the influence or in an unsafe manner. Did we, as a society, protest the ownership of vehicles? No, we didn’t but we started educating people about the dangers of drunk driving and began to strictly enforce the laws. Drunk driving fatalities have slowly decreased in many cases, year over year (for data visit “NHTSA”). Keep in mind that driving is a privilege and bearing arms is a right guaranteed in the constitution. Again, I am not writing this to instigate an argument however I hope it makes you think. Whether you agree with the Bill of Rights or not, they are what makes this country great!
We need to hold people accountable for their criminal acts and sentence them to the fullest extent of the law. Stop giving a pass to people that commit violent crimes, stop giving early releases, and stop blaming society for their acts. Fund the police, allow them to perform their duty and force the courts to punish the offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Do not let your government take away the rights of all the people because of the few criminals and/or the fact that they want to limit/control those rights. 250 years ago, a bunch of merchants and farmers stood up against the greatest nation in the world because that country attempted to impose its will and taxes on the people. The greatest power we have is to vote in people that support our constitution and vote out those that do not! If you need a refresher on American history, History.com has a great post discussing the reasons for The American Revolution here. Sometimes we all need a reminder.