Confucy, do you really think this ?

[sarettah]

Originally posted by Opti@Sep 13 2003, 02:39 PM
(sorry Sarettah, not ignoring your protest) which is an example of what leaves me scratching my head.. Why tout 2nd ammendment issues as an important case to for gun ownership... the 2nd ammendment appears to be the argument of last defence to me.

Nopers... The first argument is the 2nd amendment on this issue...

It is a guarantee in our constitution.... period...

If someone wants to override that guarantee, then they need to amend the thing, pure and simple...

The amendment in question includes the phrase "shall not be infringed"...

Which means to me that you cannot make a law that regulates what arms a CITIZEN can carry... Unless you amend the constitution to say something along the lines of "within reasonable guidelines" or something....

I am not a gun nut... and in fact think there should be a reasonable limitation (I don't want folks driving tanks up and down my street by any means) BUT to impose some sort of regulation requires the constitution to change....

And before it gets asked... Yes, I think the laws against "Hate Speech" are unconstitutional too... I do not like hate type speech, but at the same time, the constitution says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. "

which means that if you want to in some way limit the rights of free speech, you have to amend the constitution to provide for those limitations....

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Amendment II
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

Article. V.
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.