The Second Amendment, Bill of Rights and duty to this country

The Second Amendment is one of the most often debated “individual” right afforded by our founding fathers in the Constitution. Recently it has been under direct attack by those who believe the Constitution is a “fluid” set of “guidelines” and not the foundation of the American Criminal Justice code. While I will try not to get into the many varied explanations regarding this, it should be noted that arguments of this nature do in fact exist.

When the founding fathers set out to put together this grand experiment called these United States they understood that ensuring lasting freedom would be a challenge. Over time, every Democratic Republic has eventually been discarded for any number of reasons. Thus when they set about to write the Constitution of this great nation it was with great thought and over the course of almost three full years that the First Ten Amendments were put into place. The initial reason for the Ten Amendments was not to limit the people, but to limit the Federal Government and empower the people. The reason for these first Ten Amendments were solely to address individual rights. The founders “demanded a “bill of rights” that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.”

Thomas Jefferson was very clear regarding individual rights when he drafted the Declaration of Independence and he drew heavily upon Virginia’s Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, the Virginia Constitutional Convention adopted it on June 12, 1776. When James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights, he drew heavily upon this document as well. What should be noted is that the rights in the Bill of Rights were meant as Individual Rights, and not as “fluid” rights pertaining to whatever false sense of governance a sitting president and their cabinet may perceive. Modern lawyers and politicians who are against the private acquisition and use of Firearms of any type tend to forget that it was private firearms, cannons, and powder etc. that won this country its freedom originally. On the other hand, maybe they have not forgotten that. Maybe they realize, as did the Founding Fathers that it is the individuals owning and possessing the items that will curtail the broad and sweeping powers of a despotic government. Of course they now want control of these items of self defense so as to prevent the people from defending themselves from a government that wishes nothing but more control.

The Second Amendment clearly states the following, “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.” Of course, an alternative that was circulated to the states reads as follows, “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.” Taken in context and with the thoughts of the Founding Fathers to help one cannot see that this means anything other than an Individuals Right to Keep and Bear arms. “And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people can preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.” Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Colonel William S. Smith 1787

Many people purposefully misinterpret the Bill of Rights to mean something it does not; John Adams in his Thoughts on Government 1776 stated the following. “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have the incontestable, unalienable and indefensible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it.” I can see the gears turning in heads and many shaking their heads. I hope you all realize that this quote was never meant to ensure health care for everyone. On the contrary, it was meant to keep our government from taking away our rights (i.e. Patriot Act, Harrison Act, IRS and various gun control acts.) and it was meant to provide and ensure that we the people would not have to pay our tax dollars to keep our Political “representatives” buddies business’s in business.

Therefore, for those who really truly believe that our government means the best for us when they spend trillions of dollars that they do not have to ensure their favorite corporations remain in business. For those that believe that we should give away our rights to defend ourselves because some stuffed hat says so, and for those that believe that any of the current Measures currently before Congress or the House are meant for the good of everyone for you I can only be afraid. For those of you who believe as I do and would like to see this nation become as it once was, respected, powerful, and above all free remember one thing, our freedoms were won because a few men decided it was time to stand up for those freedoms.

In this coming year we will have a chance to reaffirm our desire to keep those freedoms and remain free, to begin to take back our rights and lives and re-create a bright future for our children. To do this we will need to vote for leaders who have not sold out to their business friends and we will need to vote in leaders who are there solely to represent us as they were meant to do originally. This is a country founded on the ideals of men who saw the problems of their time, and those problems are not so different than today, remember this when you vote and when you speak to others.

Do not get me wrong, I as Thomas Jefferson did “Abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge on this planet,” however, the following may also be applied.

“It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for him, to resist invasions of it in the case of others; or their case may, by change if circumstances become his own.” Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Benjamin Rush April 21, 1803

Originally posted at Examiner.com © Jesse Mathewson

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