Law-abiding citizens deserve the Supreme Court's recognition

[Mudcat]

I found this article to be very well thought out and written. IMHO is speaks very clearly how the 2nd ammendment should be interpreted.

http://www.sltrib.com//ci_7747447?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

I really like this statement:

Justice Laurence Silberman of the D.C. Court of Appeals regarding the case under appeal to the Supreme Court noted in his majority opinion that the founders were perfectly capable of distinguishing ''the people'' from ''the states'' and did so in the Tenth Amendment.
Had the drafters wanted to acknowledge the right to keep and bear arms for anyone other than individuals, they would have undoubtedly written that it is the right of ''the militia'' to keep and bear arms. With wisdom and conviction, they did not.

[VegasGeorge]

Yes, the author, Mr. Wiles, seems to understand the issues and has a good grip on the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. It's amazing how obviously correct the common sense interpretation of the 2nd Amendment is when spelled out like this. It makes one wonder why anyone would ever think differently. Could it be some agenda beyond the meaning of our constitution? Oh, sorry! That would mean that individual gun rights detractors are disingenuous lying scum bags, who don't care a hoot about our constitutional rights. I certainly didn't mean to imply any such thing.

[Bill of Rights]

individual gun rights detractors are disingenuous lying scum bags, who don't care a hoot about our constitutional rights.

Please take care, George, not to insult scum bags in the future.

(Insert wink icon here)

Blessings

[Novel idea]

Disingenuous lying scum bags? No George, they're concerned citizens doing what they believe will better decrease violence and crime. No sarcasem here. They are well meaning. So cut the ad hominem attacks (unless of course, you were reffering to the politicians, in which case fire away).

[DMorrison]

I'll say this about anti-gun minded people, in general they mean well. I think generally their views come our of fear (understandable), and misinformation. Many probably understand exactly what the 2nd amendment means but probably feel it's outdated and wrong. My mother is one of those people, has refused all her life to have guns in her house, and remains firmly against carrying weapons in public (as she made perfectly sure she told me). It's not because she thinks I am going to spas out and shoot the guy who cut me off on the highway. But if comes from her misinformation, she has never fired a weapon, and has no desire to do so. She truly believes that while a person pulls the trigger, it is the gun that enables the killing. I think there are to types of people who carry weapons. Those who were raised to trust them, and those who have had a life experience to wish they had one, or decided they wouldn't go without again as I did. And thank the lord, she has never had the experience.

[VegasGeorge]

Well, here's a sample of the way I think.

Hanging a sign on a cow that reads "horse," then going out and telling people that the animal is a horse is disingenuous, and not acceptable under any circumstances. But, some folks lack guiding principles in their lives, and consequently believe that ends justify means. So, if in their (honest) opinion, it would be best for all concerned that everyone think the animal to be a horse, they feel justified in hanging the sign, and making the argument. This, even though they know that the animal is really a cow. The bottom line is, that's a lie.

Now, the 2nd Amendment is clearly written in plain English. There is no room for any misunderstanding about it. It is not obscure, or ambiguous, or indefinite. Anyone who says otherwise is being disingenuous. They are hanging a "horse" sign on it. They are liars. And, in my book, anyone who lies about our constitutional rights is a scum bag. I don't care how altruistic their motivations may be.

Just remember: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[duc_fan]

In this day and age, there is plenty of information available to anyone with the first inkling of desire to inform themselves. Those who choose to ignore or demean, or even try to eliminate the Second Amendment are doing one of two things: they are either deliberately choosing to not inform themselves, or they know the truth and are telling a bold-faced lie.

"Good intentions" are being forced down our throats by folks who have make a personal choice to remain uninformed. That's not much better than lies or tyranny, in my not-so-humble opinion.

In the United States today (with libraries, free internet access, books, periodicals, gov't records, schools of higher learning, and so forth), there is no excuse for being uninformed about a cause you are active in. And being informed requires being knowledgeable about both sides. You'll notice that most people who know BOTH the Brady Campaign material AND actual handgun crime statistics tend to fall in the pro-gun camp (since the cold, hard crime numbers undermine the Brady Campaign objectives). Those who are anti-gun tend to only know what is fed to them by anti-gun organizations. They have never bothered to educate themselves about the other side of the topic at hand.

+1 VegasGeorge.

[Outlaw]

If I were a woman I'd marry Bradford Wiles! :roll: He's Da Man!

[hoss cartleft]

Hello everyone. This should settle all the different interpretations of the 2nd. ammendnent... The right to keep and bear arms is above the law. The right of a citizen to bear arms in lawful defense of himself or the state, ia absolute. He does not derive it from the government, but directly from the sovereign convention of the people that framed the government. It is one of the high powers delegated directly to the citizen and is expected out of general powers of government. A law cannot be passed to infringe upon or impair it, because it is above the law, independent of law making power.........Cockrum v. The State, Texas 394,402(1859). Can't say it any plainer :!: "IF GUNS CAUSE CRIME,ALL OF MINE ARE DEFECTIVE." TED NUGENT[/quote]

[hoss cartleft]

"IF GUNS CAUSE CRIME, ALL OF MINE ARE DEFECTIVE." TED NUGENT