Posted on 08/18/2006 12:24:13 PM PDT by neverdem
Hard to say, for sure.
Shotgun behind the front door jamb. Handgun in each vehicle. Open gun rack with three rifles over the sofa. Handgun in the desk next to the 'puter. Handgun for wife's purse. Open gun rack with two rifles in bedroom. Handgun in drawer next to the bed.
Other long guns here & there around the ranch buildings.
ALL legal & legally obtained. All loaded. All accessable. None locked.
LOTS of ammo for each.
For most of those which use them, I have extra, loaded, magazines.
Reloading equipment & supplies for most of them.
:)
i agree 100% that the commie dictatorships use 'mental institutions" to suppress political dissent-i was thinking along the lines of schizophrenics with command hallucinations for example or people who stuck up a convenience store-the government does have a legitimate function in extreme cases-under the 1st amendment you can't physically threaten the president or other people for that matter nor just start speaking out of turn at school,in a courtroom,etc.-basically we don't disagree-i believe if someone wants to own a machinegun or antitank rifle there's no problem-if they use it to commit a crime,then the law should deal with them,but otherwise stay out of our lives-illegal aliens i don't think is debatable-they're invaders-you don't arm invaders if you can help it
I agree with what you said, especially illegals.
AFAIC, illegals are just another criminal to be apprehended or shot in the attempt.
"We the People of the United States,..." simply does not include intruders, under any rational interpretation.
I have no problem with the seriously mentally ill, IF it is competent medical authority AND the courts, AND normal 'due process', complete with attorneys & even a guardian, if necessary doing the finding & ruling.
I get queasy about felons getting an automatic loss, just on the basis of what has been elevated to a felony in recent years. OTOH, violent felons, especially repeaters, shouldn't be on the street, anyway.
OK, yes, that's in the First Amendment. I was talking about free speech and freedom of religion.
But freedom of assembly is by definition a collective right. There is no news in the fact that the Framers said "of the people" in regard to freedom of assembly.
They did not need to say "of the people" in the Second Amendment. The fact that they did suggests that their basic concern was that the people as a whole be able to own weapons. That requires an individual right, but raises the question of whether all individuals, regardless of personal characteristics or behavior, have a right to own guns, as they do have such an absolute (in that sense) right to speak and worship freely.
Again, I simply cite this as a justification for the constitutionality of laws that restrict ownership of guns by felons or noncitizens, to the extent that such laws exist. Whether they're a good idea or justified is a separate question.
I appreciate your modifications on the question of ownership (illegals, and the seriously mentally ill).
I would actually add another point that I'm sure you'd agree with: Even ex-felons have some natural right to self-defense. It must be balanced against their potential danger to society, but still, there's a natural right to self-defense that is not erased by past behavior.
Hard@$$ me, I only consider a pardoned citizen to be an "ex-felon". Once a felon, always a felon. Now, a felon MIGHT be an ex-inmate, and maybe even an ex-criminal.
By definition, a felon is one who has been convicted of a felony; no "ex" applies without a pardon. Same applies to "convict".
However, that is hairsplitting. As I said about "violent felons": They don't belong on the streets in the first place.
The way the clause is phrased, the phrase ALSO applies to the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
By your analysis of the construction, then the right to petition would also be a collective, not an individual, right.
Being a teacher was surely the last thing on my mind as a choice of profession. Unfortunately all those I did love and actually tried (law enforcement, army officer, law school) just didn't quite work out. Then I married a teacher and I felt a deep urge to try my hand at it. I was experienced...all US Army Infantry Lieutenants are skilled teachers...they just teach different subjects. You know, when God Almighty chooses a path for one of his children, sooner or later....his will BE done. When I actually applied to the system I was told rather bluntly that I was the wrong race and ethnicity and pretty much the wrong gender too. But funny, doors started to open. I slid thru a system already set against me without a problem. I have stayed there and taught the other side of the AGENDA for over 16 years. Greater is HE who is in me than he who is in the world....
The Philadelphia Inquirer lets him print such drivel.
Some progress was made. Alaska went from shall issue to unrestricted. Now you only need paperwork if you want reciprocity in other states that observe reciprocity for their shall issue privilege.
Repealing the 2nd Amendment to stop crime is like repealing the 1st Amendment to stop porn!
Let's put the 2nd Amendment FIRST!!!
Good for Alaska! At least ONE state out of fifty has FREE citizens.
The term "collective right", as generally used, refers to "rights" of the people as a whole or, more typically, the "rights" of 50%+1. The freedom of assembly is definitely not in that sense a collective right. If two people want to assemble they have the right even if the "collective will" of everyone else is that they be forbidden.
It's a Fait Accompli--We've got the guns--how are they going to get them?
Molon Labe.
It's two states.
Socialist loving Vermont never had shall issue. IIRC, Vermont never infringed on the 2nd Amendment.
I agree. Solo FReeps are protected by the Constitution, of course.
The reference to "of the people" in the rights to peaceably assemble and petition the government is simply a recognition that people can get together in large groups for these purposes. Normally, though not always, demonstrations and petitions involve a group.
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