2nd Amendment - Then and Now

I know, the 2^nd Amendment is low hanging fruit as the subject being examined in modern times, but none the less appropriate for my second article in this series. In 1787, when the Bill of Rights was ratified, the new nation had just finished sending an oppressive government back to its home island. In 1787, gun ownership was virtually universal in the United States of America, and for the next 140 years, there were no federal regulation on guns or gun ownership. In 1927, the U.S. Congress passed the Miller Act prohibiting the mailing of concealable fire arms

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself." ~ George Washington

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." ~ Thomas Jefferson

"Disarm the people- that is the best and most effective way to enslave them." ~ James Madison

"The ultimate authority resides in the people, and that if the federal government got too powerful and overstepped its authority, then the people would develop plans of resistance and resort to arms." ~ James Madison

"The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state shall not be questioned." ~ James Madison

"A people armed and free, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition and is a bulwark for the nation against foreign invasion and domestic oppression." ~ James Madison

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." ~ James Madison

"Americans need not fear the federal government because they enjoy the advantage of being armed, which you possess over the people of almost every other nation." ~ James Madison

"When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise their original right of self-defense — to fight the government." ~ Alexander Hamilton

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~ Thomas Jefferson

I’d say there is little argument about what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they included the 2^nd Amendment in the original Bill of Rights. The founders clearly understood the ramifications of a society that did not have firearms in hand to protect itself from a rogue government that had accumulated too much power.

In 2024, for at least the last three and a half years, Americans have gotten the bitter taste of what an out of control rogue tyrannical government looks like. The lawlessness allowed by both federal and some local governments is plain to see. Nearly every day good guy citizens are using their own 2^nd Amendment firearms rights to protect themselves and/or others from bad guys.

How would you suppose the Founding Fathers would view the restrictions that exist in 2024 regarding “gun control” in America today? For that matter, how do you suppose our forefathers of 150 years ago would view “gun control” in America today? I suspect they would all be appalled. You call it; have American citizen’s firearms rights been infringed?

Let’s take a look at what a more contemporary forefather had to say about the 2^nd Amendment.

"By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia,' 'the security of the nation,' and the right of each citizen 'to keep and bear arms,' our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy... The Second Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important." ~ John F. Kennedy

"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom." ~ John F. Kennedy

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ John F. Kennedy

Do not forget, President John F. Kennedy was a Democrat, but it seems he and President Thomas Jefferson were on the same page in regard to armed American citizens. Do you think the Marxist Democrat Joe Biden and his corrupt minions would agree with Kennedy? Nah, me neither.