Your Thoughts On Amendment #2

[gnognugs]

What is your understanding of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution?

What are your views on gun ownership?

Handguns?

Assult Weapons?

Hunting?

Militias?

The NRA?

Just had some coffee, and I thought I'd ask.

 

[GoldenBear]

If the constitution were written today, THAT would definitely not be included, and I feel it's a lame argument for people that own guns.

 

[syzygy]

too many guns. the market is saturated with guns. there are so many of them and with insufficient
controls that evil doers easily skirt the measly regulations in place. and worse, is the number of accidental gun deaths. since you cannot factor-out human error, i woukd think you need some
form of greater control over such a dangerous piece of equipment.

the nra is a crazed organization that perverts the second amendment.

 

[Double Trouble]

This topic has been re-hashes so many times it's not even funny. Do a search, you can read through all the threads.

This will turn into a giant flame war in about 10 minutes

It might be nice to have an actual civilized discussion about such an issue, but with uninformed idiots on both sides of the fence, you can bet no such thing will take place.

 

[Tominator]

This has been rehased sooo many times here.....do a search....

GoldenBear...and neither would the first!

syzygy...you have no idea what you are posting about. There are many everyday items that are much more dangerous than guns...should we outlaw autos? More Americans are hurt in accidents falling off ladders than accidental shootings. Over 20,000 gun laws and not one ever prevented someone from obtaining a gun if they wanted one bad enough.



gnognugs



<< What is your understanding of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution? >>



That's a dumb question. 'Your Understanding?' It says a certain thing read it. The Bill of Rights does not give any rights at all, just states that some are 'God Given' and cannot be taken away.

 

[Ferocious]

The NRA is a renegade operation anymore with an executive leader that is simply out for more power and control.

They used to be true to the cause, but now they spend a lot of their funds with non-gun related issues.

Gun owners of America is a more noble cause for gun fanatics. NRA sucks anymore.

 

[syzygy]

tominator, autos do not have build and safety regulations, annual inspections, driver education,
licensing, and minimal medical requirements ? are autos not subject to federal oversight, approval, and testing ? are autos not designed to protect their passengers through countless
hours and at no small expense product safety testing, overseen and indepedently verified by a
government standards bureau? i'd love to see the same with guns. how about you.

and tominator, while they're may be 20,000 gun control regulations, or 40,000, or 1,000,000, they are not uniform from state to state and enforcement varies from state to state. many of
the illegal guns in this city are imported from down south because despite all the thousands of imaginary regulations you cite savvy buyers know to look for their wares in pawn shops, auctions, second and third party dealers, and unscrupulous gun owners, all working on the
side to wiggle around putative laws.

gun manufacturers need to be held accountable for allowing an oversupply of a practically unregulated product to flood neighborhoods. they could much improve their distribution of
product by working with government law enforcement agencies, rather than aligning themselves with the nra.

 

[Moonbeam]

They don't allow guns in Europe like they do in the US and as a result all of Europe is a totalitarian state that the people weren't able to defend against. Also their employment rate is terrible because they don't have millions in prisons and millions more running them. That will change though as we continue to export our corporate etc. culture.

 

[guyver01]

I always thought the 2nd amendment gave us the freedom to wear short-sleeved shirts.

 

[glenn1]

Golden Bear, thank goodness the Constitution is not being written today. The men who wrote it are a much higher caliber of man than 99% of men that exist in the general public today. I can only imagine how different our Constitution would look if we didn't have the men of honor, courage, and wisdom who wrote it doing the job. But then again, of course, we seem to have activist judges in this country who feel no shame about essentially re-writing the Constitution to suit today's whim of the moment, so i guess that's kind of a moot point anyway.

Hmmm, so let's rewrite the Constitution so as to correct the stupid antiquated notions of what freedom is. Out with the oh-so passe Second and Tenth Amendments, and of course, the First Amendment just doesn't quite work anymore, the framers forgot to think about &quot;hate speech&quot; and plain old bigotry. And how could the framers have forgotten to include such basics like the right to privacy (well heck, we don't need to hide behind the privacy argument anymore, so let's just write it as abortion instead, because that's what we really mean, no use confusing people, eh?), affirmative action, animal rights, and gay marriage? What were they thinking?

Hey, isn't this fun!

 

[Turkey]

The God-Given right of the people is to protect themselves against tyrannical government. Guns were written into the constitution because when it was written guns were the way to protect against tyrannical government. Using the 2nd amendment to justify carrying guns for personal safety is a weak argument because it's just plain wrong.

 

[konichiwa]

For anyone who is truly interested in the history behind how America became a culture so saturated with guns, I highly recommend a book called Arming America : The Origins of a National Gun Culture by Michael A. Bellesiles. It's a very interesting book, and if you have the time to read it, it comes highly recommended.

 

[Raspewtin]

i think the militia part of the 2nd ammendment is very important, and that gun ownership should require some sort of organized volunteer participation in a service capacity either to the federal govt, state govt, or local govt. of course the way things are are the way things are, and I am not really that concerned about the issue anymore.



<< They don't allow guns in Europe like they do in the US and as a result all of Europe is a totalitarian state that the people weren't able to defend against >>



that was funny

 

[ToBeMe]

<< What is your understanding of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution?

What are your views on gun ownership?
There is Nothing wrong with private gun ownership! Many, Many more are responsible with their guns than the few whom are wreckless and allow any unsupervised access to children. As for crime, the majority of the weapons used in roberies, gang war, etc. are bought illegally, or imported fully auto weapons and I agree, need to be dealt with.....but not by penalizing the honest, responsible persons whom use their guns for hunting or sport shooting. I do suppose some guns are justified by people for use as a protection.
Handguns?
Handguns are more of a problem than the rifles and shotguns because they are easily concealed. I do believe stricter laws need to be enforced regarding their ownership/possession and perhaps stricter penalties imposed on the owner when the gun is used illegally, or found in a minors pssession without supervision! I also would not be against a law demanding hand guns be locked up securely when owned by any person having children under 18 in the household. Handguns are the BIGGEST part of the gun problem as they are used in the majority of all crimes!
Assult Weapons?
I honestly do not feel that any &quot;civilian&quot; has any use/need for ANY fully automatic weapon as they are of no use in hunting or sport shooting! IMHO it SHOULD be illegal for a civilian to own/possess a fully automatic weapon! The problem here seems to lie with the &quot;militias&quot;. IMHO again......these orginazations have a right to exist........but need strict laws governing them!
Hunting?
There is no problem here! Hunting is a sport millions of people enjoy and the number of accidents that occur annually directly related to hunting is VERY minimal! State Conservation Department set strict laws concerning hunting and for the most part are very successfull in enforcing them! Hunting also serves a very important service in keeping wild game numbers controlled! It is a fact that without hunting, deaths caused by large game animals such as Deer, Elk, Etc. would escalate dramaticly on the highways across America! Hunting also controls herds for farmers &amp; ranchers which in turn protects their crops from devistation and herds from disease as well as controling diseases spread by overpopulation.
Militias?
Militias are a VERY touchy subject.......many times they cause more harm than good, but some do operate within laws and are no threat in any way. As stated above though, I do believe these need to be dealt with by strictly enforcing laws and guidelines concerning their weaponry and actions!
The NRA?
The NRA IMHO has done a lot of good and can still! They are the exact oppisite of the &quot;hard line&quot; advocates of total gun control. I believe both sides need to learn to become more flexable in order to come to any kind of working agreement concerning the gun issues! I will agree though, that in the last several years they seem to have become to &quot;extremeist' and there are other organizations that serve the cause for fair gun ownership much better.......

• Just my opinions like you asked.........guess I better get my flame retardent suit on in preparation for the replies......

 

[hpkeeper]

I'm with ToBeMe

 

[XMan]

<< Golden Bear, thank goodness the Constitution is not being written today. The men who wrote it are a much higher caliber of man than 99% of men that exist in the general public today. >>



Amen to that.



<< i think the militia part of the 2nd ammendment is very important, and that gun ownership should require some sort of organized volunteer participation in a service capacity either to the federal govt, state govt, or local govt. of course the way things are are the way things are, and I am not really that concerned about the issue anymore. >>



The militia portion of the second amendment does not refer to the National Guard, which did not come about until much later. It basically says, all people have the right to bear arms, so that they may defend their country in times of crisis.

 

[ToBeMe]

This will most likely stir some people up but, IMHO.....Drugs &amp; Alcohol do a lot more damage than guns do in our nation, plus, they most likely play at least some part in most of the crimes committed with guns!

 

[gnognugs]

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.

Tominator

Since this doesn't mean the same thing to everyone, I do not feel it is a dumb question.

PS The Bill Of Rights, doesn't really mention God. You are thinking of the Declaration of Independence

 

[troglodytis]

1.

<< What is your understanding of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution? >>


you may own guns to protect yourself from a tyrannical government. and form groups to help in that protection.

2.

<< What are your views on gun ownership? >>


if you want a gun, own one. if you don't want a gun, don't own one. not everyone (some criminals and my mother-in-law) should be able to own guns. i own 2 guns; one semi-automatic 22 rifle, and one pump-action 22 rifle.

3.

<< Handguns? >>


easy to conceal, hard to hit something at long distances

4.

<< Assult Weapons? >>


refer to #1. the right to bear arms is in the constitution not so we can go hunting or target shooting. it is there so that the general population can kill people who unjustly try to take over the country. assult weapons would help the general population in this task. thus i find their ban to be unconstitutional.



<< Hunting? >>


sport hunting is silly, but it is a good way to get tasty food that has not been tanted with hormones and/ or antibiotics. i prefer bow hunting....and i prefer to track rather than bait.



<< Militias? >>


some of them are quite silly, others are more helpfull. they are a usefull part of our country. i am not, nor do i have a desire to be involved with any.



<< The NRA? >>


blah. corporate crap for guns. we be better off w/o intrest groups of any kind.

 

[Pretender]

<< That's a crock. These were men who held other men in bondage, these were men who had fathered numerous Children out of Wedlock, these were men who made Teddy kennedy look like a Teetotaler, these were men who took justice in their owns hands and murdered other men in Duels and these were men who had blood on their hands from systematicaly commiting Genocide against the the Native Americans, something that was practiced until the late 19th Century. Hey that's the way it was back then, but to hold all these men up on pedestals is complete BS. Is it any Wonder that they would screw up so bad with the second ammendment? >>

Oh gimme a break. Yes, things were differently back then, slavery wasn't thought of as bad, then again, we don't think forcing people to work 8 hours in a cubical is unfair..maybe in 200 years we'll think differently. Using our forefathers' personalities to ridicule the second amendment is idiotic. I'm sure if the opportunity popped up, you'd be praising them tomorrow for the first amendment.





<< Cars are used for transportation, guns are used to kill men. Big Difference there little Hestonite. >>

Guns are used for defense (or hunting) by law-abiding citizens. Cars and guns both can be used to kill when used by criminals.

 

[konichiwa]

<< Guns are used for defense (or hunting) by law-abiding citizens. Cars and guns both can be used to kill when used by criminals. >>

However, you seem to miss Red's main point, which is that guns are made to kill people. Cars are not made to kill people, guns are. Period.

 

[MrBond]

Not all guns are made to kill people, the vast majority of them are made for sport, hunting, etc. I own several, and I use them as you would use a computer, motorcycle, etc. They're my recreation, I enjoy hunting and target shooting...so you're statement about guns being made to kill people is far from the truth.

I believe the second amendment rose out of winning the revolutionary war. If the colonists had not been allowed to keep guns, they would have never formed the militias that eventually won our freedom. And we can all agree that was a good thing, right?

 

[konichiwa]

MrBond

I would recommend to you the book I mentioned a few posts up (RE: your comment about the law being passed after the revolutionary war)

Second...ok, I retract my statement. Guns are made to kill. Better?

 

[gnognugs]

For those of you who have negative views of guns; would your feelings change if the person whose rights to gun ownership were in question, lived under the rule of a tyrranical government?