Jake Jacobs
Democrats push to remove 2nd Amendment
By Jake Jacobs
Reflecting growing sentiments within the Democratic Party, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens declared recently in an op-ed for the New York Times that gun control demonstrators should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment as it "is a relic of the 18th century."
Stevens' argument is that the Second Amendment as ratified in 1791 was never meant to protect an individual's right to own weapons but was meant solely for a "well-regulated militia."
While it is true that the Second Amendment dealt with a well-regulated militia, when the Founding Fathers wrote the amendment, militias were composed of individuals who owned their weapons and were expected to bring those weapons to battle. Therefore, the very essence of the 18th century militias was the individual's ownership of firearms. Individual gun ownership was commonplace during the American Republic's birth. Citizens understood the right to bear arms was the key in preserving liberty over tyranny.
At the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention in 1788, Samuel Adams made astute assertions. "The Constitution shall never be construed ... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms," Adams declared.
Connecticut's Noah Webster opined similar pronouncements in Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, 1787.
Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed.
Similar understandings of the "right of the people to bear arms" can also be found in the writings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, George Mason, and many other Founding Fathers.
Former Vice President Joe Biden added his two cents to the mix.
I think the Second Amendment is being very badly interpreted; it's not consistent with what our founders intended, in my view ... What's happened here is the nation as a whole has decided it can no longer, in my view, continue to turn a blind eye to the prostitution of the Second Amendment.
Stevens and Biden's bogus and distorted history of the Founders' original intent reflects the radical and big government agenda of progressive Democrats. This must never be allowed to strip Americans of their God-given right to protect their lives, their families, and their properties.
Here is my latest ONE NATION on this topic: https://youtu.be/rlzBjvwpOPs
© Jake Jacobs
April 9, 2018
Reflecting growing sentiments within the Democratic Party, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens declared recently in an op-ed for the New York Times that gun control demonstrators should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment as it "is a relic of the 18th century."
Stevens' argument is that the Second Amendment as ratified in 1791 was never meant to protect an individual's right to own weapons but was meant solely for a "well-regulated militia."
While it is true that the Second Amendment dealt with a well-regulated militia, when the Founding Fathers wrote the amendment, militias were composed of individuals who owned their weapons and were expected to bring those weapons to battle. Therefore, the very essence of the 18th century militias was the individual's ownership of firearms. Individual gun ownership was commonplace during the American Republic's birth. Citizens understood the right to bear arms was the key in preserving liberty over tyranny.
At the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention in 1788, Samuel Adams made astute assertions. "The Constitution shall never be construed ... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms," Adams declared.
Connecticut's Noah Webster opined similar pronouncements in Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, 1787.
Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed.
Similar understandings of the "right of the people to bear arms" can also be found in the writings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, George Mason, and many other Founding Fathers.
Former Vice President Joe Biden added his two cents to the mix.
I think the Second Amendment is being very badly interpreted; it's not consistent with what our founders intended, in my view ... What's happened here is the nation as a whole has decided it can no longer, in my view, continue to turn a blind eye to the prostitution of the Second Amendment.
Stevens and Biden's bogus and distorted history of the Founders' original intent reflects the radical and big government agenda of progressive Democrats. This must never be allowed to strip Americans of their God-given right to protect their lives, their families, and their properties.
Here is my latest ONE NATION on this topic: https://youtu.be/rlzBjvwpOPs
© Jake Jacobs
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
