Sell me on the 2nd ammendment!

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:34am

Hi all,

I hope it is legit to ask about this here.

I am facing an exam about US constitutional history. (Still somewhat in the future, but I gotta prepare anyway.)

I'd be interested in your opinions on the 2nd ammendment,
which I suppose are mostly positive on a military forum,
and how you experience weapon-related culture in the US.

My personal opinion on this is that I really don't have one, except the common European "ZOMG they haz a pistol". I am, however, interested in your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks,

Rafe

**pauli** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:38am

the second amendment is the guarantor of the first.

**DarkPhoenix** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:40am

It depends on what you want to know.

How I learned it was that the intent of the 2nd Amendment was to allow the citizenry to be armed to protect their homes and their country, should it be needed. I am a big supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, but I don't think the founding fathers had assault rifles in mind when they wrote it. Who the hell needs an AK47 to hunt in the woods, unless you are hunting other soldiers.

**Mtripp** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:40am

http://www.guncite.com/journals/reycrit.html

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:41am

To appreciate the Second Amendment you must first ask yourself several questions. Do I have rights? Where do my rights come from? Who secures these rights for me?
If your answers are Yes, God, me. Then you can appreciate the Second Amendment

If your answers are I think so, the government, the government. Well.....

**DarkPhoenix** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:45am

Originally Posted by Vorpal

To appreciate the Second Amendment you must first ask yourself several questions. Do I have rights? Where do my rights come from? Who secures these rights for me?
If your answers are Yes, God, me. Then you can appreciate the Second Amendment

If your answers are I think so, the government, the government. Well.....

+1 on that!! AMEN BROTHER!!:biblethum

**pauli** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:46am

Originally Posted by DarkPhoenix

It depends on what you want to know.

How I learned it was that the intent of the 2nd Amendment was to allow the citizenry to be armed to protect their homes and their country, should it be needed. I am a big supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, but I don't think the founding fathers had assault rifles in mind when they wrote it. Who the hell needs an AK47 to hunt in the woods, unless you are hunting other soldiers.

what does hunting have to do with anything?

**Mtripp** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:53am

Originally Posted by DarkPhoenix

It depends on what you want to know.

How I learned it was that the intent of the 2nd Amendment was to allow the citizenry to be armed to protect their homes and their country, should it be needed. I am a big supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, but I don't think the founding fathers had assault rifles in mind when they wrote it. Who the hell needs an AK47 to hunt in the woods, unless you are hunting other soldiers.

The second amendment is not about hunting.

A true assault weapon is a fully automatic battlefield rifle. The oft used term "assault rifle" is applied to a wide number of firearms that have very little in common with a true assault rifle.

Moreover, and this is key, I am sure the founders had no idea about radio, television, or the internet when they framed the first amendment... but no one is suggesting it doesn't apply to them.

**Snake Plissken** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:53am

As stated the Second Amendment, essentially guarantees the First Amendment, to ensure the populous has the ability to regain control of their government should the government decide to not listen to its constituency.

**Phrost** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 10:54am

Originally Posted by DarkPhoenix

It depends on what you want to know.

How I learned it was that the intent of the 2nd Amendment was to allow the citizenry to be armed to protect their homes and their country, should it be needed. I am a big supporter of 2nd Amendment rights, but I don't think the founding fathers had assault rifles in mind when they wrote it. Who the hell needs an AK47 to hunt in the woods, unless you are hunting other soldiers.

The founding fathers expected each citizen to carry whatever would be the common infantry rifle of the day, as they were essentially the nation's militia and the last line of defense against tyranny.

So they absolutely would have expected "assault rifles", and not semi-auto only either.