Why do you own a gun?

[Roadkill]

Wish I could take credit-I just found it. Link posted below.

"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary for the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I'm not going to parse it word by wordâ??or on second thoughts, maybe I should, given all the crap that liberal idiots have tried to throw over its intent. Let's deal with the low-hanging fruit first.

The "militia" does not mean the frigging National Guard, which came into being over 150 years after the American Revolution. There are essentially two versions of the word militia: the way it was understood by the Founding Fathers and other original patriots, and the actual legal definition.

For the former, we only have to rely on the actual words of one of them (and the others agreed, as you will see):

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

That's the firebrand Patrick Henry. He makes no mention of state governments, nor of standing armies (like the National Guard), which the Founding Fathers regarded with as much liking as for a snake in a bedroll.

The United States Code of Law narrows the definition somewhat, but not overly so:

"The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age..."

~~Title 10, Section 311 of the U.S. Code.

Note that the U.S.C. doesn't say "as maintained by state government" or any other nonsenseâ??it's an unequivocal statement of all able-bodied males.

Oh, and one more thing about that pesky first phrase: "regulated" does not mean "beset by rules and laws". In 18th-century English, "regulated" meant "trained and equipped", in other words, ready for action. Hell, we've even lost that because of the abolition of the military draft. Aaargh.

Now for the next phrase of note, the "security of a free State" one. Note that security of a free State does not just mean of the country as a wholeâ??but by using that other pesky word, "free", the Founders made it plain that the whole concept of a free state is that which requires security. It doesn't just mean a state free from Nazi tyranny, for example, but also a state inherently free, from its own government if necessary.

How do I know they meant that? Let's roll the tape, Simon:

"If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is no recourse left but in the exertion of the original right of self-defense which is paramount to all forms of positive government."

-- Alexander Hamilton.

Need another?

"No man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

-- Thomas Jefferson.

And one last one:

"Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense."

-- John Adams.

Those phrases make the blood of government lackeys run cold, or rather, they should.

Now for the penultimate phrase: "the right of the people to keep and bear arms". Not just "the people who can afford to buy a gun license", or "only the police," or "only Mayor Daley's bodyguards"â??it says, "the people" without qualification. Can't be much plainer than that, reallyâ?¦

â?¦ except perhaps for the last phrase: "shall not be infringed." Note carefully that the Second does not say, "Congress shall not" or "government shall not" or "Mayor Daley shall not". The use of the passive voice is quite intentional: it is a clear, universal statement that the right to keep and bear arms cannot be circumscribed, by anyone or by any institution.

It is, of course, no coincidence that the right to have guns is one of the earlier freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights. Without guns in the hands of the people, all the other freedoms are easily negated by the State.

http://www.battlerifles.com/viewtopic.php?t=19329

rk