Quote:
Originally posted by LordSludge
The classic NRA "protection vs. govt" line is Grade A bullshit, and I wish people would stop invoking it. Please understand and recognize this: The real reason for packing heat is for power vs. fellow man, whether that's a potential criminal, a bully in a bar, or an unwelcome visitor caught boinking your spouse.
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The Pennsylvania constitution is very clear on this point: " The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense <b><i>of themselves</i></b> and the State shall not be questioned." [emphasis added] So this includes the 9mm autoloading pistol I carry, as well as the Springfield M1-A/M-14 "assult-style rifle" I''d like to own, but can't afford at the moment.
(As an aside, capping an unwelcome boinker will get your guns conficated and you thrown in the slammer...unless the boinker was unwelcome by the <i>spouse</i>, too, in which case it's justified use of deadly force in this state...rapist season is always open.)
The intent of Amendment 2 was manifold--danger can come from many directions, not just an out-of-control government--but clearly the founders thought a disarmned populace was a bad idea, and I agree. And and out-of-control government is nothing more than a biggish gang of hoodlums...your "fellow man" writ large.
The idea that an armed citizenry is pointless simply because the government owns bigger guns is silly. Don't underestimate the power of small arms widely held by a large population. Nice thing about it is that it's inherently democratic. The republic was born in guerilla warfare, and it could, if need be, happen again.
Unless people who think our rights are "obsolete" surrender them for us.