The Right to Bear Arms...Ummm Ok...If You Say So

Whenever I think of this "right" in the U.S. Bill of Rights I always think of the Family Guy clip viewable here where the words of the Founding Fathers of this nation were taken slightly out of context by the following generations.

We laugh. But I seriously wonder if the "right" extended by the Founding Fathers is taken out of context today or if gun owners seek rights expansions that make little sense.

For instance, lets look at another amendment, the Third, which protects citizens from having to provide room and board to soldiers. This amendment floats in obscurity...I mean when has the pro- and anti- quartering groups clashed about this in the public spotlight? But when the Constitution was being written this was a valid concern - the country had a very recent and pained memory of British rule and quartering "His Majesties" soldiers under the Quartering Act of 1765.

My point is that some of these rights are tied very closely to their historic contexts.

The right to bear arms is in a larger amendment which says:

The American Revolutionary War was not fought by a national fighting force - it was fought by citizens of these colonies grabbing whatever gun they had and fighting. The right of the People to bear arms is why the Founding Fathers spoke of gun rights. It was to make sure that the only soldiers the U.S. had at the time were armed and ready should the freedoms they had just won were ever threatened.

But the U.S. has not used militias for security in forever. That is the National Guard's duty. They have their own armories and arsenals, and do not need to run home and pick up their musket if someone threatens the peace of their state.

Also consider the politics of the time, because politics play a role. The biggest concern was states rights vs. a dominate central government. The only way this Constitution was going to pass was if states that favored the Articles of Confederation felt that they could legitimately check the Federal Government if they tried to overpower the will of the states - politically or physically.

This is why I just shake my head when I hear about efforts to expand gun privileges like the provision defeated in the Senate today. The bill wanted to allow licensed owners that carry concealed weapons to also be able to carry them concealed in another state without applying for a new permit. Why? It is almost like an arms race within Americas borders. The fact that guns are so easily available in America is factors into the insecurity many Americans feel and why they buy a gun to protect themselves, property, or family. A vicious cycle.

America loves its guns, so I think they are here to stay - but i think many of the rights that owners have conjured up have made a farce of the 2nd Amendment.