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The Second Amendment, Terrorism and the Militia by
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
The Second Amendment, Terrorism and the Militia by scott@firearmnews.com
Recently there has been a lot of talk about the United States government's new understanding of the 2nd Amendment as it relates to individuals. Basically they stated that the 2nd Amendment applies to individual rights, as opposed to organized militias, something some folks have come to incorrectly identify as the National Guard or the United States military. Essentially, the government's new premise comes from two things:
* Every other right that is recognized (note I didn't say "granted" or "given'; these are natural rights--the Bill of Rights officially "recognizes" these rights, they don't grant them), but the Bill of Rights is about individual rights, so why would the 2nd Amendment be any different?
* "a well regulated militia" refers to the common militia, which was understood in the days the Bill of Rights was written as "every able bodied man," not a state's National Guard or the nation's military forces. "Well regulated" means well trained--that these citizens knew how to use and maintain their own firearms, that they regularly practiced with them, and were hence ready to do whatever they had to do to protect their family, their community and finally, their country. In this instance, "regulated" does not refer to the regulation of firearms by laws, rules, as in "regulatory."
TOO LATE TO STOP NATIONAL ID
Contact Or Find All Of The Information You Need On Your Elected Officials!
Is your computer infected with a serious virus or worm? On August 2, 2002 a variant of the Chernobyl virus called: CIH-1049 is going to shut down and destroy computer systems all around the world. See SiteApprovedTm for more information. So what's this got to do with terrorism? A lot. Remember Flight 93, the one that crashed in Pennsylvania? If you recall, we're told that several passengers, along with a couple of the flight crew, stormed the cockpit to try to take back control of the aircraft. Due to current regulations, these passengers were unarmed--but that didn't stop them from doing what they had to do to protect themselves and those on the ground. Those brave folks were, as mentioned in the 2nd Amendment, the common militia. Though they were deprived of their right to protect themselves with weapons, they still stood firm and foiled the hijackers from their goal, a goal we now know was to crash the plane into the White House in Washington, DC.
Right after the attacks, a mentally deranged man tried to enter the cockpit of another plane that was in flight. Once again, some of the passengers got together and jumped the man, holding him down until authorities could take him into custody. In yet another instance in December, the terrorist now known as the "shoe bomber" attempted to light a fuse attached to his shoes, which were filled with explosives, in an another attempt to blow another plane out of the sky. Again, passengers jumped the man, holding him until authorities could detain him. In yet another attempt, a bus hijacker was jumped by other bus passengers until he could be subdued. In all of these instances, the CITIZEN MILITIA saved the day. These were average citizens, just like yourself, your neighbors, your family and friends, your pastor, your doctor, your teacher--people in all walks of life who have one thing in common--they are all upstanding citizens who care about those around them enough to stand up and do what's right--even if it involved risk to themselves.
At times those of us who are not police, fire, rescue or military personnel feel like we have to sit on the sidelines and aren't able to do our part to help in the war against terrorism. The most important thing we can all do is to be pro active, and keep an eye out for suspicious and/or malicious activity. The police can't be everywhere all the time, and the FBI/CIA/etc. have their hands full as it is. It's up to us--the militia as defined in the 2nd Amendment--to save the day. This doesn't mean turning in your neighbors and becoming that which we hate, or that we have to become a "Big Brother" society. It just means keeping your eyes open in your local community, at your job, your home and as you are going about your day-to-day existence. Us "common citizens" are those folks who have made a great difference so far, and it's up to us to stay vigilant, to make a difference. The militia. Us.
This is a formatted e-mail I have sent out to President Bush and my Senators and Representatives. You can use it if you want.
Dear---
I would like to remind you that NO GUNS were used in our Country being attacked. And to this fact, I would like to add that I know we would not be where we are at today, if only one upstanding citizen with the permission to carry a concealed firearm would have been on those planes. Not the sky marshals, or the pilots, but citizens. Look at where we are going now. No pocket knives? A pencil or pen can kill quicker than a pocket knife! I will never fly a commercial aircraft again until I will be allowed to defend myself.
Sincerely,
Mike W. Smith http://www.guned.com/pages/comment.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Recently there has been a lot of talk about the United States government's new understanding of the 2nd Amendment as it relates to individuals. Basically they stated that the 2nd Amendment applies to individual rights, as opposed to organized militias, something some folks have come to incorrectly identify as the National Guard or the United States military. Essentially, the government's new premise comes from two things:
* Every other right that is recognized (note I didn't say "granted" or "given'; these are natural rights--the Bill of Rights officially "recognizes" these rights, they don't grant them), but the Bill of Rights is about individual rights, so why would the 2nd Amendment be any different?
* "a well regulated militia" refers to the common militia, which was understood in the days the Bill of Rights was written as "every able bodied man," not a state's National Guard or the nation's military forces. "Well regulated" means well trained--that these citizens knew how to use and maintain their own firearms, that they regularly practiced with them, and were hence ready to do whatever they had to do to protect their family, their community and finally, their country. In this instance, "regulated" does not refer to the regulation of firearms by laws, rules, as in "regulatory."
TOO LATE TO STOP NATIONAL ID
Contact Or Find All Of The Information You Need On Your Elected Officials!
Is your computer infected with a serious virus or worm? On August 2, 2002 a variant of the Chernobyl virus called: CIH-1049 is going to shut down and destroy computer systems all around the world. See SiteApprovedTm for more information. So what's this got to do with terrorism? A lot. Remember Flight 93, the one that crashed in Pennsylvania? If you recall, we're told that several passengers, along with a couple of the flight crew, stormed the cockpit to try to take back control of the aircraft. Due to current regulations, these passengers were unarmed--but that didn't stop them from doing what they had to do to protect themselves and those on the ground. Those brave folks were, as mentioned in the 2nd Amendment, the common militia. Though they were deprived of their right to protect themselves with weapons, they still stood firm and foiled the hijackers from their goal, a goal we now know was to crash the plane into the White House in Washington, DC.
Right after the attacks, a mentally deranged man tried to enter the cockpit of another plane that was in flight. Once again, some of the passengers got together and jumped the man, holding him down until authorities could take him into custody. In yet another instance in December, the terrorist now known as the "shoe bomber" attempted to light a fuse attached to his shoes, which were filled with explosives, in an another attempt to blow another plane out of the sky. Again, passengers jumped the man, holding him until authorities could detain him. In yet another attempt, a bus hijacker was jumped by other bus passengers until he could be subdued. In all of these instances, the CITIZEN MILITIA saved the day. These were average citizens, just like yourself, your neighbors, your family and friends, your pastor, your doctor, your teacher--people in all walks of life who have one thing in common--they are all upstanding citizens who care about those around them enough to stand up and do what's right--even if it involved risk to themselves.
At times those of us who are not police, fire, rescue or military personnel feel like we have to sit on the sidelines and aren't able to do our part to help in the war against terrorism. The most important thing we can all do is to be pro active, and keep an eye out for suspicious and/or malicious activity. The police can't be everywhere all the time, and the FBI/CIA/etc. have their hands full as it is. It's up to us--the militia as defined in the 2nd Amendment--to save the day. This doesn't mean turning in your neighbors and becoming that which we hate, or that we have to become a "Big Brother" society. It just means keeping your eyes open in your local community, at your job, your home and as you are going about your day-to-day existence. Us "common citizens" are those folks who have made a great difference so far, and it's up to us to stay vigilant, to make a difference. The militia. Us.
This is a formatted e-mail I have sent out to President Bush and my Senators and Representatives. You can use it if you want.
Dear---
I would like to remind you that NO GUNS were used in our Country being attacked. And to this fact, I would like to add that I know we would not be where we are at today, if only one upstanding citizen with the permission to carry a concealed firearm would have been on those planes. Not the sky marshals, or the pilots, but citizens. Look at where we are going now. No pocket knives? A pencil or pen can kill quicker than a pocket knife! I will never fly a commercial aircraft again until I will be allowed to defend myself.
Sincerely,
Mike W. Smith http://www.guned.com/pages/comment.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878