a well regulated militia

[LordSludge]

Originally posted by MaggieL

And the "reason" you're looking for is: It's my right to keep and bear arms. It's not your right to decide what arms I should be allowed to have.

Getting into the business of "prove to me you should be allowed to own this particular gun" is one hell of a slippery slope. Our state constitution says my right to keep and bear arms shall not be questioned. It doesn't say "execpt for really nasty things that Spin doesn't like". <snip>

You're stopping short, hence not recognizing the dilemma. The 2nd Amendment not only gives us "the right to keep and bear" nasty guns, but "arms". It doesn't say "muskets" or "personal protection"; it says honest to goodness ARMS. I believe (as many do) that the intent of this amendment was to allow the public to credibly defend itself against an oppressive government.

Now c'mon -- anybody who honestly believes a few assault rifles would stand any chance of deterring a bona fide govt assault by anything more vicious than a battalion of rabid postal carriers is just stupid. We need machine guns, shoulder-fired rockets, tanks, missiles, and tactical nukes! But you gotta ask yourself, how safe would you feel knowing your neighbor and half the guys in the county had tactical nukes at their personal disposal? (Road rage = KABOOM!!! ) I believe, however, the 2nd Amendment gave that right, but it is obsolete, irrelevant, and frankly (don't shoot me -- ) should be repealed.

Don't get me wrong; the 2nd Amendment made good sense when muskets were among the pinnacle of weaponry, and it was reasonable to expect some sort of military balance between the power of the government and the power of the people. However, it is now centuries obsolete -- made so by the power of modern weaponry vs. the irresponsibility of Joe American.

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. Now whether that's a valid reason to permit personal weapons (even assault rifles) is debatable, but not, I believe, constitutionally protected.