You're talking yourself into a trap that I am about to spring on you.you miss the point, dear. our Second Amendment is Express not Implied in Any way.Sure danielpalos and for states to be free and secure still includes citizens with rights and responsibilities for "the people being the government"Our Second Amendment is clearly about the security of our free States. It says so in the first clause.Our Second Amendment clearly expresses it is about the security of a free State not natural rights. Natural rights are recognized in State Constitutions and available via Due Process not our Second Article of Amendment.The second amendment is federal
Dear danielpalos
1. the Second Amendment right to bear arms that Conservatives and Constitutionalists invoke and enforce are an inseparable part of the Bill of Rights that also includes
due process
right to assemble peaceably
right to security in persons houses and effects
right not to be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of laws
The later 14th Amendment added equal protection of the laws
extending to STATES. (and the Civil Rights act attempted to extend
equal protections from discrimination to PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
especially those receiving federal funding)
Are you okay with other people exercising and defending their
beliefs on these concepts in that Constitutional context?
2. if we don't agree on using these two parallel contexts,
then even by the First Amendment individuals should be
able to defend their own beliefs under their own system
without imposition by people under a different belief or creed.
If we can agree to respect both, we can likely resolve
the issues by agreeing on principles in common even
though both sides cite different systems to get to the same points and conclusions.
Again, not just free speech and the right to petition, bear arms, etc. But enforcing the whole Context of the Bill of Rights TOGETHER, where citizens have free exercise of religion and all these other rights WITHIN the context of respecting due process so NOBODYS rights freedoms or security is violated.
Where people democratically participate in govt, that includes bearing arms and right to defense to ENFORCE laws equally as govt does.
danielpalos even if you don't believe in taking it that far, other Constitutionalists who do exercise equal rights and responsibilities as govt are entitled to equal protections of the laws for these Constitutional beliefs by which people are the govt and the consent of the governed is the basis of law, civil contracts, and public authority.
Even as a voluntary choice of belief, people have equal rights to this without having to justify their beliefs to govt first before having rights to free exercise. As long as the exercise is in keeping with following and defending laws and rights, not any kind of abuse either civil or criminal.
Just because you don't share these beliefs doesn't mean you or anyone has the right to abuse govt to exclude or prevent others from exercising and practicing, funding and following their own Constitutional beliefs like any other Creed that can't be excluded punished penalized regulated or forced by govt. Only if you commit a crime and go thru due process could you lose rights by violating these same laws.