The Right to Bear Arms

...One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and short sleeves and wife-beaters for all. I think it's funny that people debate over this law (according to wiki) more than any other laws' interpretation of the US Constitution.

If we take the context of the political atmosphere and era in which the law was created; and that it should remain in force as long as this country is found standing; I feel we can all come to the same conclusion... (Wouldn't that be nice?!)

The 2nd amendment states 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. The new Government of United States had just won the Revolutionary War. The architects and founders of this country had learned first hand the cost of freedom. They knew that without having had the right to arm themselves the earliest militias' key victories could have changed the course of history and swung the tide of the war for the Crown.

http://www.lcmm.org/shipwrecks_history/history/history_revolution.htm
"From the outset, rebel leaders knew that they must expel the besieged British garrison in Boston, but such an undertaking was impossible without heavy artillery. Such weaponry was at that time completely unavailable to colonial militias. However, cannon were known to be in ample supply at the weakly-manned British forts at both Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain. The Americans immediately devised plans to seize the guns and bring them to Boston."

If the militias had not had the right to own firearms- they then would not have been able to stop the first wave of English from disarming the armories which were established so that colonists/settlers could defend themselves from Indians, French, self defense, etc. And a good thing too, because they were then able to use those arms to repel the ruling government which did not encompass its subjects' voice and desires when it came to its laws and governance.

Alexander Hamilton said, "People should not fear a federal government, because they would remain armed".

and in other words V for Vendetta said,"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

And how can we today achieve the vision of the Founding Father's to be able to overthrow a corrupt government except we keep it in check? Most privately owned firearms can't even in most cases match up against the most standard issued weapon carried by a national guardsmen or women.

My current views summed up on the right to "Bear Arms"

1. We should not only be able to own guns but also own fully automatic weapons if we desire. (The real debate should be for example whether or not ownership of tanks and bigger firepower should be allowed.)

2. Gun control should mean to stop allowing loopholes in the laws for criminals to own guns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show#The_gun_show_loophole , for tougher punishment of those who break laws using guns, tougher mandates on how to keep guns locked up to prevent senseless accidents and atrocities such as Columbine and other children from shooting up their peers! -If we put in to law no gun ownership such as is the case in England today; the law abiding will do as law abiding citizens do and obey. Then only the criminals will have guns. Then their is no more an even playing field for the common citizen. The gun has been said to be the great equalizer.

3. I personally feel that every able man (barring only those whose religious beliefs prevent) should serve in a type of militia for their individual state's defense. And only those who offer up such service should be allowed to vote. Those that can't volunteer at that capacity should be required to comparably sacrifice service hours in community service to make better our nation as a whole. (Naturally those who already work in this capacity in the military would be excused.)

A few words from the wise to the wise...
Those who hammer their guns into ploughs will plough for those who do not.
-- Thomas Jefferson

“The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth.”

—Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson

“It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.”
-- Justice Robert H. Jackson