We All Have a Right to Bear Arms
The preamble of the United States Constitution clearly states its objective: to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity
The bill of rights is the set of amendments to the constitution intended to secure these objectives for the individual citizens of the United States. The second amendment states:
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.
This amendment was written in the wake of the revolutionary war, when the ability to raise arms
…show more content…
The meaning of the second amendment depends on the definition of two words: Militia and Regulated.
Some feel that the national guard fulfills the constitutional requirement for a militia. The guard is a highly organized arm of the military that can be deployed to any part of the world and for any purpose the commanders of the armed forces see fit. A militia however is defined by the Webster dictionary as a group of citizens called out only in emergencies. The supreme court presented its definition of militia in US vs. Miller (1939):
The signification attributed to the term Militia appear from the debates in the convention, the history and legislation of colonies and states, and the writings of approved commentators. These show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense...
This ruling upheld 10 USC Sec. 311. This law defined all able bodied male citizens between the age of 17 and 45 as part of the militia. The national guard is clearly part of the militia, but the militia is a much greater force than the Guard alone. This view is the one supported by theNRA .
Those who oppose this interpretation of militia, such as the ACLU , claim that if the second amendment allows the ownership to a gun it must also allow ownership of a tank or a nuclear bomb. This point was also addressed in the
The gun debate in the United States widely revolves around the intended interpretation of the Second Amendment. Those who support gun rights claim that the founding fathers developed and subsequently ratified the Second Amendment to guarantee the individual’s right to keep and bear arms. Those who want more stringent gun laws feel that the founding fathers directed this Amendment solely to the formation of militias and are thus, outdated.
This has been distorted so many ways. This amendment is also dated. We have to keep in mind that our society has changed since this amendment has been written. This was made around the time of the Revolutionary War. During that time all males’ citizens were required to own guns because they were fighting against the British forces.
The article begins by discussing the intentional role of the National Guard under the framers of Constitution. The National Guards role in the United States national security, and political scientist view on the National Guards relevance. It illustrates changes in how the National Guard has been used over the course of history and what events caused these changes. Finally, it gives insight to some of the adjustments that have been made in the use of the National Guard and are still in practice to date.
The Second Amendment states that “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”.1 It is important to understand that the Second Amendment was created in order to allow the American people to form militias in response to a tyrannical government attempting to suppress the American way of life. In order for Americans to form militias, they must uphold their freedom to bear arms as a
The second amendment states: “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 United States Constitution). Most gun
The second amendment of the Constitution states -“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.” (Constitution, Amendment 2). There is much debate as to whether the Amendment refers to individuals having the right to bear arms or that we are entitled to have an army (militia) that is ready at moments notice to fight for our country. Both interpretations are technically correct as they are present in the Amendment. Every state had a National Guard that is readily available in case of disaster or war. This goes without mentioning our military that are also ready and waiting. Everyone shares in the protection
The opposite side of this debate consists of those who claim that the amendment guarantees some sort of individual right to arms. This view comes from the literal wording of the Second Amendment, which states, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Along with this argument, the NRA and other groups in opposition of gun control argue that the first, fourth, ninth, and tenth amendments are all constructed to refer to the citizens as individuals and not as a collective state. These gun advocates feel that if one is to give a rational interpretation of the collective view to the constitution, then one would have to assume that the Framers referred to the individuals in the first, fourth, and ninth amendments; to the states in the second amendment, and then separated the states and the people in the tenth amendment, although they feel that this was inconsistent with the wording of the second amendment (5).
The Second Amendment says “ 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 first half of the 2nd Amendment states that “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state”. This was put in place to ensure that the government or
There have been many cases where the meaning of the Second Amendment illustration took place. For example in the 1886 the Supreme Court heard Presser vs. Illinois. Mr. Justice Woods declared that, “It is undoubtedly true that all citizens’ capable of bearing arums constitute the reserved military force or reserve militia of the United States, as well as that of the states…” (LaCourse). And in the case of United States vs. Miller, the controversial subject of the ‘militia’ was, yet again, brought up. The Supreme court stated, “These [documents] show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert of the common sense” (LaCourse).
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “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 constitution is clearly saying all citizens have the right to be able to own and carry a weapon or firearm. On June 26, 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the United States Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home and within federal enclaves (Cornell 1). This is showing how our founding fathers supported the right to bear arms.
The right to keep and bear arms was considered a fundamental, individual right in the original 13 colonies from the pre-Revolutionary period through the ratification of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution in 1791. The Amendment states: 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 right to keep and bear arms has been a topic of extreme controversy in this century and can be argued equally from both sides. The first side says that it is our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. On the flip side, it is too dangerous and would increase the number of violent crimes. No matter which side is
The Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution states, "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" (United States of America).
Officially, a militia is part of the organized armed forces of a country that is called upon only in an emergency. There have been paramilitary groups with revolutionary ideas throughout America’s history, but today’s militia movement is a new more organized and violent presence (Meyers). Today the militia are unofficial citizens’ armies organized by private individuals, usually with antigovernment, far right agendas. They rationalize that the American people need armed force to help defend themselves against an increasingly oppressive government that is becoming part of a global conspiracy called the “New World Order” (Sonder, 2000). These armed groups call themselves militias; to both imply the image of the