tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215371037212931087.post5027617028095882305..comments2023-10-29T03:24:03.075-07:00Comments on Panic in Year Zero: Guns and OutlawsThe Man Who Was Never Bornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06005018298798797316noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9215371037212931087.post-65270847394822414062007-12-11T21:25:00.000-08:002007-12-11T21:25:00.000-08:00I think the 2nd Amendment made perfect sense to th...I think the 2nd Amendment made perfect sense to the Framers. In 1791 when you joined the state militia you frequently brought your own gun when you reported to duty. This was true for a long time. An individual right to bear arms was needed to have a state militia in a country with barely an operating military.<BR/>But I believe in a living Constitution. If anyone wants to follow "the intent of the founders" on this, I'll agree if your restrict the right to bear arms to owning flintlocks. With that snarky comment behind me, I'll suggest that the 2nd Amendment does protect individuals rights to bear arms, but that the national government can use the "well-regulated" part to reduce the easy availability of weapons that can now produce lots of mayhem in a short amount of time. <BR/>The latest rounds of shootings in Omaha and Colorado seem to me to provide more evidence that guns are easier to get in this country than adequate mental health care. <BR/>I don't think the right to bear arms means that any adult with and ID and no public record of felonies should be able to walk into the local Wal-Mart and walk out with a high-powered rifle and enough ammunition to take down everyone in the store. In Omaha the weapon of choice was an AK-47, a weapon I have actually fired in its semi-automatic mode. No one needs this weapon outside of the military. There is a "compelling state interest" to remove it from the general public. There is no compelling argument that it is needed for individual rights. Deer rifles can do plenty of damage on their own as the casualty rates among humans demonstrate every deer season. <BR/>We've spent most of my life conducting a national experiment to see if an average of one gun per person promotes safety. How we doing with that? Let's try using that "well-regulated" part and see how it works. The common phrase of "your rights end at my nose" does not work well with guns.redbarbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01438137543211322407noreply@blogger.com