"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
Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Anti-gun propaganda falsely insists that the Second Amendment only guarantees
the "right" of States to have a National Guard. An examination of the language
used in the eighteenth century by the Framers of the Constitution clearly shows
our Founding Fathers intended to protect a birthright that properly belongs to
every individual citizen of the United States.
Well-Regulated This term has nothing to do with regulation by
government officials. In the eighteenth century, "well regulated" meant an
efficient or properly running mechanism. In a military context, it referred to a
standard of training and preparedness which we now call "combat readiness."
Militia In Colonial times, the Militia consisted of local units made
up of every male citizen of military age capable of bearing arms to defend his
home, family and community. Special units not composed of all citizens, like the
modern National Guard, were referred to as a "select corps" or a "select
militia." An early draft of the Second Amendment defined the Militia as being
"composed of the body of the People, trained to Arms." Today, whether they are
aware of it or not, all citizens capable of bearing arms that do not belong to
the regular armed forces or the National Guard are members of the Militia.
Right The Second Amendment does not protect the right of States to
have a National Guard. The Declaration of Independence says governments are
formed to secure the unalienable rights of all men and that governments derive
their powers from the consent of the governed. States don't have rights; people
do.
Keep Colonial Militia members were required to own military type
muskets with bayonets and a supply of ammunition. They kept these weapons in
readiness in their homes, not in public armories. The American Revolution
started when the Royal Governor of Massachusetts marched his Redcoats out of
Boston and tried to confiscate the private arms belonging to Militia members at
Lexington and Concord.
Arms Arms are weapons kept for private self defense or to fulfill the
civic duty of every able bodied citizen to be a part of the Militia. The Second
Amendment was not written to only protect the right to own hunting guns. It was
written to protect the right of the entire body of the people to own military
type firearms. So-called "assault weapons," which were banned by the Congress
and President Clinton, are the very type of guns our Founding Fathers intended
to protect from Government restrictions. Write or call your elected
representatives and demand your rights be restored. Demand Repeal of the
"Assault Weapons" Ban.
"Since a well trained combat ready Militia, composed of all citizens
capable of bearing their private arms in concert for their common defense, is
necessary to the security of a free State, Congress shall make no law
restricting the right of the individual citizen to acquire, possess and carry
military small arms." ~ The Second Amendment Translated Into 20th Century
Language