Jack (Rabbit) -
I'm no constitutional scholar either, though I've read some 2nd Amendment scholarship. Fortunately the Bill of Rights is a short collection, and a quick read reveals the word "people" used in several amendments. Seems unreasonable to argue that the word means something different from one amendment to the next. If one grants that premise, the 10th Amendment is instructive in making a clear distinction between states and people.
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
Historical period writings provide context for understanding the framer's meaning, and resolve any ambiguity related to modern interpretations of the word "militia". The problem isn't finding the framer's meaning. It's that too many don't care, or willfully ignore it to pursue what they believe are higher values.
I don't hold to the Platonic notion that rights exist outside the realm of power to preserve or enforce them. If the people choose other values as higher than the 2nd Amendment, they can repeal it. But the gun-haters instead choose to twist and degrade our language.
Jay
Last edited by Gunflint Charlie; 02/24/07 08:31 PM.
