The Right to Bear Arms? Maybe Not

Hello everybody. I have something to say about the right to bear arms.

The American people are nearly unanimous in wanting something done to stop the gun violence and mass shootings which have shattered the nation’s domestic tranquility. Yet nothing has been done. Not by the President; not by Congress. The Second Amendment to the Constitution is one of the biggest obstacles. And I believe it’s because it has been misinterpreted. Yes, even by the Supreme Court. Do you know what it says?  It reads, and I quote:

“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.” 

The National Rifle Association and gun advocates have conveniently lopped off the first words of the Amendment and use just the last words: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Bet you probably haven’t even heard the whole sentence.

The Founding Fathers write first about a state militia in which citizens can keep arms to protect their state from the federal government or other entities that would do them harm.

Do you really think they intended for Americans in 2019 to own nearly 400 million guns to protect themselves? No. They could never have imagined the deadly guns available today. They were talking about muskets, not AK-47s. And they were talking about state National Guards, not Bonnie and Clyde.

Since a conservative Supreme Court has interpreted the Second Amendment to protect gun owners, Americans will continue to take license to buy guns. But there is nothing in the Constitution that would prevent our government from placing limits on what kinds of guns people can buy and what kinds of people can buy them. Fellow citizens, can’t we at least do that?

 Until next time.