Opinion
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The political left likes to refer to it as a “debate,” as if somehow the nations’ Founding Father’s didn’t know what they were doing when they wrote the Second Amendment to the U.S Constitution.
This, by the way, infers that they (the socialist left) know better what the Second Amendment means than the men who wrote it. Of course, that’s patently absurd, but in today’s day and age of instant communication and fake news, the vast majority of which leans socialist left, it’s understandable why they believe their interpretation as the truth. I mean come on, when MSDNC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS (and sometimes FOX-See Sheppard Smith, Juan Williams or Judge Napolitano) always tow your line and push your narrative, it’s hard to see otherwise.
Let me give you an example of what I’m referring to. The hard-line gun prohibitionists like to tell us that the Second Amendment applies only to a connection with military service, such as a national guard, for example, and not the individual people. In other words, they would have us believe it belongs to the state. I forget how many times I’ve mentioned this over the years on air, but the authors of the Bill of Rights said “the people” in the document, five times including the Second Amendment “right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
- Amendment I: 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.
- 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.
- Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
- Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
- Amendment X: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
The meaning of the word “people” is so clear that one would have to be stretching the truth (read: lying) to infer the word meant anything other than the individual.
In fact, Amendment IV connects the word “people” to the word “person,” Amendment IX refers to the “people” without any other reference, and Amendment X clearly separates the “people” from the “state.” To believe otherwise would mean Amendment IX should have read “shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the states, or by the people.” Of course, the reason the founders didn’t include “by the states” in Amendment IX is that states don’t have rights and any invocation that they do only applies to powers (which are not unlimited and are subject to review and oversight) by the people if they are found to be unconstitutional.
Here’s the bottom line: The authors of our Bill of Rights didn’t make a mistake.
They actually knew what they were doing and articulated their intent clearly and unambiguously. If they had meant something else, they would have simply said it rather than cryptically written other amendments in ways that would have required centuries of debating and deciphering, instead, they were crystal clear – we, (the people), have an individual right to bear arms that shall not be infringed. You know it, I know it, and they know it. There is no debate now, and there has never been unless of course, you’re a leftists socialist who seeks to control me – and good luck with that!
Mark Walters
About Mark Walters
Mark Walters is the host of two nationally syndicated radio broadcasts, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense with Mark Walters. He is the Second Amendment Foundations 2015 Gun Rights Defender of the Year award recipient and co-author of two books, Lessons from Armed America with Kathy Jackson (Whitefeather Press) and Lessons from UnArmed America with Rob Pincus (Whitefeather Press)
@mac Walters, In your para. 2, I think that you mean state indirectly, which would be imply.
V/r,
WB
All ‘gun control laws’ are un-Constitutional. Article 6, U.S. Constitution “The Constitution…shall be the supreme law of the land”. Therefore, no legislative law, Executive Order or local decree may limit, deny, change or modify the Constitution. THAT is called the ‘Supremacy Clause’ Article 6 continues “All laws must conform to and be made pursuant to the Constitution”. Therefore, any legislative law, Executive Order or local decree not in 100% harmony with the U.S. Constitution, is null & void. Americans could own any firearm of any type they wanted until the 1934 NFA. The U.S. Congress fearing the WW1 veterans they… Read more »
Good one and a billboard would be good but it would take too much room to explain it to progressives.
Let us not forget that the founders believed that these enumerated rights were given to “the people” by God Almighty. They were not “granted to “the people” by the Constitution, “the people” had these rights from birth until death, and they were, per the Constitution, NOT TO BE ABRIDGED BY THE STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! PERIOD! THERE IS NO DEBATE! So sit your snowflake butts down and STFU!
There is only one exception to this: Those that are judged to be insane and felons lose these rights. That is all.
Phil in TX
The left now attack the Duke, wanting to tear down his statute and rename John Wayne Airport.
The left preached tolerance for years and years – and once accommodated, the end result is they now have no tolerance.
Hopefully the good folk of CA will see this for what it is, a racist bigot ploy by spoiled snow flakes, and provide notice, touch the Duke, whoop ass time!
The DemonRats have united all of the leftist fringe groups into one fighting machine. If/When they gain power and nationalize everything and everyone they will start the internal power struggle and start slitting each others throats.
By indoctrination and subversion, the true meaning of the 2A is slowly but surely being distorted and diminished. THE PEOPLE, not THE STATE, were the recognized holders of the right to self and community defense; by their ability to own, possess and bear arms (weapons of choice). But not according to the left, as Mr Walters so adroitly points out. By insisting that the right of self defense is a function of government only, the ability of the individual to self protect (in the absence of or when faced by government force) is negated. Also appreciated his reference to the… Read more »
Concur! Our rights are not negotiable. EVER!!!
If someone could have the opportunity to shake that SOB by the neck. They’ll get charged for murder and a pardon would not bother me. But there is a untenable situation arising below the surface of all this left nut craziness and the refusal of immediate direct 2A protective action.
Are You Smarter Than A Founding Father?
If you believe that you are….you aren’t. In fact, there’s a petard waiting for you by which you will soon hang yourself.
Well done on this Mark, well done.