Second Amendment

As passed by the Congress:

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.

As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State:

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.

Now some people use the first phrase to explain why gun rights can be curtailed - "A well regulated militia being necessary." I say they are fools or think the American people are fools! Yep, I'm not a lawyer nor am I a Constitutional scholar. I AM a thinking American and can see that if the governments takes guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens there can never BE a militia.

I'm not a fanatic. I'm not a "true believer" - what I call fanatics of any kind. I'm a LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, who realizes if the government takes away our ability to protect ourselves it is just the first step in total control.

I'd love to live in a world, or just a country, where private ownership of guns didn't matter. Where peaceful people lived together, didn't covet other's goods, didn't rob, cheat, steal, kill each other. I'd love to live where I can leave my doors and windows open. The reality is we don't live in Utopia. By and large we are blessed to live in a country where we are mostly safe but we aren't without crime and violent crime at that.

If this administration is allowed to regulate the ability of law abiding citizens to have firearms then who will protect us in case of crime? Do you REALLY think criminals are going to turn in their guns, or wait for the police to show up? How damn foolish are you? Criminals themselves will tell you that sometimes the only deterrent for them is the possibility that the homeowner might be armed.

OK, so your argument is that we don't need "assault" weapons. What exactly ARE assault weapons?  Do you know or do you just take the word of the media? Well according to the restrictions proposed almost every firearm other than a breech-loading shotgun and a derringer can be labeled an assault weapon. The fact is most people have no idea what is or is not an assault weapon - and don't care to find out! It is a label anti-gun lobbyists use to scare people into agreeing that they must be controlled.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every gun should be allowed to be owned without any regulation. I'm all in favor of rigorous background checks. I'm in favor of only allowing ownership of fully automatic guns under strict federal license. I'm in favor of banning kits to turn semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones. I'm even OK with some limits on magazine capacity - as long as it would not take away existing owned
handguns or long arms.

My thoughts are to take a smarter approach. We have to look at the problem with a clear, unemotional eye. The common denominator of most of the horrendous multiple killing tragedies in America is mental health. The perpetrators have all been mentally ill AND able to get (either purchase or steal) guns.

Another factor is the absolute promotion of sick, gratuitous violence in movies, TV, music, and video games. What do we expect from kids if all they see is hyper violence in the media? They are programmed to believe that violence, shooting a gun, killing your opponent is the answer to all of your problems. How can an immature brain understand that what they are seeing is fantasy?

And yet Hollywood and violent music lyrics get a pass! They even righteously attack gun ownership when their very expensive bread and butter depends on the depiction of gun violence!!!!! Hypocrite is too light a term for the likes of Tarentino, violent rappers, and Moore! They are foul.

But our president is beholden to Hollywood and the Left for HIS bread and butter. So he and his followers will continue to attack the instrument instead of the very complex problems; easy access by criminals to guns, lenient gun crime punishment, sick, gratuitous violence in the media, ignoring mental health issues.

In fact if we want to have a positive outcome of the issue a commission of NON-POLITICAL people would be gathered with gun experts, licensed mental health psychiatrists and psychologists, law enforcement, constitutional experts, gun owners. But THAT won't happen because this administration wants to pander to his constituency, forward his agenda - PERIOD!