My take on the what the Founding Fathers had in mind in regard to the 2nd Amendment

[LibertyLemming]

If "arms" at the time of the Founding Fathers meant the absolute most deadly, harmful, dangerous weapon(s) in the world (cannons, muskets, flint lock pistols, swords, etc), it serves to reason that they wanted to guarantee that the ability of the citizens to have equal arms as the governments of the world (since that is exactly what they did) when they wrote the 2nd Amendment. It would be equivalent to permitting nuclear weapons if we were writing the Bill of Rights in today's time, since they are arms, you know nuclear arms, and it says my right to bear them shall not be infringed.

Could they have imagined nuclear weapons and the other advances in weaponry that have happened? No, but that doesn't negate the original intention and principal of the document.

I'm aware that we have a super dope ass kicking military but they're not exactly being used to protect us lately, let alone that should have nothing to do with me being able to protect myself.

Furthermore, based on some excerpts from the Founding Fathers and Article 1 Section 8, I don't think they wanted us to have a standing army in times of peace. Which is why they wanted the people to be armed, to defend themselves if need be from whomever it may be.

I'm not saying I know what people were thinking 200+ years ago, it is just my hypothesis. I find it interesting that a lot of things that are contentious now and highly debated are things that the Founding Fathers never implemented when they had the chance. Things like the draft, things income tax, things like making sure the Government was better armed than its citizens, things like redistributing wealth to those who were not doing well (be that because of a bad choice they made or being disabled by no choice of their own). They relied on charity and family and friends to care for people and on the country to be able to come together and fight when they're common values and their geography was threatened. They relied on people to care for themselves for the most part. It is quite possible that times have just changed and that society no longer values the same things, or perhaps they are so disconnected from how things were that they don't think of alternatives.

 

[tyroneweaver]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

 

[jwoodie]

Interesting take on bearing "arms" to include swords and other nonexplosive devices. Another aspect that seems to be frequently overlooked is that the first ten Amendments (Bill of Rights) was written as a limitation on federal power only. The implication is that States were individually empowered to defend themselves against any external threats.

 

[Dutch]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

 

[LibertyLemming]

Interesting take on bearing "arms" to include swords and other nonexplosive devices. Another aspect that seems to be frequently overlooked is that the first ten Amendments (Bill of Rights) was written as a limitation on federal power only. The implication is that States were individually empowered to defend themselves against any external threats.

Indeed. I would further assert that no standing armies may have more or less meant no Federal Army. Perhaps at a State there would be some organization of local militia and then if the country were attacked the State's could unite their militias and dominate.

 

[g5000]

One of the most advanced fighting tools in the arms locker during the period of our Founding Fathers was the naval fighting vessel.

Many such vessels were privately owned and contracted out by our government to fight their battles for them. These were known as "privateers".

 

[LibertyLemming]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

The Bible is a book of stories, it is not a social contract to organize and regulate human beings via force. If I disobey the Bible, nothing happens to me. Well, maybe when I die you might say, but that is neither here nor there.

 

[jwoodie]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

I believe the New Testament provides a different interpretation.

 

[g5000]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

Which is why we have a Constitutional amendment process.

And that process is deliberately difficult so that a populist is not able to quickly sway the gullible mob into giving up their liberties for all time over some passing exigency.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

Yes they did that's why they wanted the states to vote on Senators. But of course a democrat fucked that up also.

 

[eflatminor]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

Not sure but a lawyer in Scotland sure did:

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury."

Alexander Tytler

 

[LibertyLemming]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

Alexis de Tocqueville said, "The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” - Benjamin Franklin

"There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." - John Adams

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters . . . . . but they mean to be masters." - Noah Webster (1758–1843)

"Give me control over a nation's currency, and I care not who makes its laws." - Baron Rothschild

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." - George Bernard Shaw

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." - Calvin Coolidge


and finally:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." - Norman Thomas (US Socialist Presidential Candidate)

 

[BlindBoo]

Here's my 2 cents.

With no standing Army, the country was protected by the various state militias. Most all citizens (land owning whites) were in the militias. The militia were known for the ability to assemble be ready for a fight quickly. They men protecting the country had to have their weapons in their homes and not in some armory elsewhere. Hence the need to guarantee that the militia-men would be able keep their weapons ready in their homes.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state......

 

[bripat9643]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

The bible isn't a legal document. The Constitution is the legal foundation of our government. Your belief that it's just an interesting scrap of paper says all we need to know about your views.

 

[emptystep]

Here's my 2 cents.

With no standing Army, the country was protected by the various state militias. Most all citizens (land owning whites) were in the militias. The militia were known for the ability to assemble be ready for a fight quickly. They men protecting the country had to have their weapons in their homes and not in some armory elsewhere. Hence the need to guarantee that the militia-men would be able keep their weapons ready in their homes.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state......

If you take the first letter of each word at the beginning and each word after the comma you get ABTS, which, as everyone knows means:

This compound is chosen because the enzyme facilitates the reaction with hydrogen peroxide, turning it into a green and soluble end-product. Its new absorbance maximum of 420 nm light (ε = 3.6 × 104 M–1 cm–1)[2] can easily be followed with a spectrophotometer, a common laboratory instrument. It is sometimes used as part of a glucose estimating reagent when finding glucose concentrations of solutions such as blood serum.

On the other hand you could take what BlindBoo said except it is a federal document stating "A well regulated Militia" which means the federal government was giving itself the right to keep a Militia. The reason? "being necessary to the security of a free State". And what right were the people of this Militia given? "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." There is just no way else to interpret it. Those are the words which were written, no more, no less.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

Alexis de Tocqueville said, "The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” - Benjamin Franklin

"There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." - John Adams

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters . . . . . but they mean to be masters." - Noah Webster (1758–1843)

"Give me control over a nation's currency, and I care not who makes its laws." - Baron Rothschild

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." - George Bernard Shaw

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." - Calvin Coolidge


and finally:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." - Norman Thomas (US Socialist Presidential Candidate)

I'm sorry but you have me quoted saying something I did not say.

 

[Politico]

Yes they did want to have a standing army in peacetime. And a navy too. Just small ones meant to protect our borders. The raising of armies and financing wars was a totally different process back then.

 

[Darkwind]

I wondered if they thought you could buy votes by handing out free goodies.

Alexis de Tocqueville said, "The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” - Benjamin Franklin

"There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." - John Adams

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters . . . . . but they mean to be masters." - Noah Webster (1758–1843)

"Give me control over a nation's currency, and I care not who makes its laws." - Baron Rothschild

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." - George Bernard Shaw

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson

"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." - Calvin Coolidge


and finally:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." - Norman Thomas (US Socialist Presidential Candidate)

The man had an uncanny accurate vision with that statement.

 

[Darkwind]

Here's my 2 cents.

With no standing Army, the country was protected by the various state militias. Most all citizens (land owning whites) were in the militias. The militia were known for the ability to assemble be ready for a fight quickly. They men protecting the country had to have their weapons in their homes and not in some armory elsewhere. Hence the need to guarantee that the militia-men would be able keep their weapons ready in their homes.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state......

Yet, no militia is required to keep and bear arms.

 

[JFK_USA]

The bible states that we should stone women who commit adultry. Do we follow that practice? No, because 2000 years ago was a very different time than now and society realizes this.

And that's why IN OUR SOCIETY we need to outlaw automatic weapons that are intended for mass destruction

Our government has unmanned drones that can wipe out a town in a matter of seconds and you think your AR-15 is going to give you the upper hand? Come on. Our government is no where close to being a tyranny or a dictatorship. We have so many checks and balances to protect itself from that. It's time for reasonable, common sense gun control. Without it, we are doomed to repeat Sandy Hook over and over again.