Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe C.
The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
People NEED to understand what infringed means.
There will always be criminals. They will always break the law. And when seconds count, the police can be there within minutes.
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You forgot the first part. Here's the whole sentence:
Quote:
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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.
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(from the actual Constitution)
The point of the amendment was to prevent the need of the the country to have a professional standing army. Members of the militia, who were just individual citizens, had to use their own personal weapons. The 2nd amendment gave them the right to possess and carry their own weapons to use when they were called on to serve, so that the government didn't have to fund an arsenal. That's why 2a was written.
It was never intended to be used outside "militia business." It turned into that later on, but that isn't why the amendment was written.
At the time, in the "wild wild west" most towns outlawed possession of guns if you weren't a deputy or member of the Sheriff's office or other town official. You'd have to check your weapon when you entered the town, get a chit, and then turn the chit in when you left to get your weapon back.
You can check on the historic "Gunfight at the OK Corral" (which didn't actually happen at the corral) for some history on ordinances prohibiting the possession of firearms in towns.