2nd Amendment
Information will be posted to this page regarding the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution and the right to bear arms. Articles posted will concern items from around the country, court actions and bills in Congress.
"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. |
What to say if your Doctor asks about your guns. Click HERE.
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Historical Quotes and Court Verdicts
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"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
Thomas Jefferson --------------------------- "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms... The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants" (Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, Dec. 20, 1787, in Papers of Jefferson, ed. Boyd et al.) ------------------------- "To prohibit a citizen from wearing or carrying a war arm... is an unwarranted restriction upon the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. If cowardly and dishonorable men sometime shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, not by a general deprivation of constitutional privilege." [Wilson v. State, 33 Ark. 557, at 560, 34 Am. Rep. 52, at 54 (1878)] ---------------------------- "A militia, when properly formed, is in fact the people themselves..." (Richard Henry Lee writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788) --------------------------- |
Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They (Arms) are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence... From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable... The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that is good.
George Washington ---------------------------------------------- "The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state-controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military. The hired servants of our rulers. Only the government - and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws." (Edward Abby, "The Right to Arms," Abbey's Road [ New York, 1979] -------------------------------------- "The maintenance of the right to bear arms is a most essential one to every free people and should not be whittled down by technical constructions." [State vs. Kerner, 181 N.C. 574, 107 S.E. 222, at 224 (1921)] ---------------------------------------- "The right of a citizen to bear arms, in lawful defense of himself or the State, is absolute. He does not derive it from the State government. It is one of the "high powers" delegated directly to the citizen, and is 'excepted out of the general powers of government.' A law cannot be passed to infringe upon or impair it, because it is above the law, and independent of the lawmaking power." [Cockrum v. State, 24 Tex. 394, at 401-402 (1859)] -------------------------------------------------- |
Gun Control & Gun Rights
The Second Amendment to the Constitution, which concerns the right to bear arms, is always a hot-button issue, especially during election season. Gun rights and gun control groups alike have been lobbying Congress for decades to craft legislation in their respective favors. Twice in the past two years the gun issue has reached the nation’s highest court. In the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller the court ruled that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a gun for personal use. But the 5-4 decision only applied to federal laws and failed to address local and state laws. Thus, in July 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that the federal right to bear arms also applies at the state and local level. The ruling lifted a nearly 30-year-old Chicago gun ban. The National Rifle Association called the ruling a landmark, but the decision did not specify what kind of gun laws can be applied to the Second Amendment. “The real challenge is going to be getting law-abiding citizens access to it,” said NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre after the ruling. Both gun rights and gun control groups will likely continue to lobby Congress on this issue to either blunt or sharpen the ruling.
Standing Guard
The Federalist Papers Explain Purpose of the 2nd Amendment
Review the Federalist Papers HERE to better understand the intent of the 2nd amendment.
The Battle of Athens
The following film clip shows a real situation that clearly demonstrates why we must never yield on the 2nd amendment. The film clip is from a movie based the real events in Athens, GA. Watch to the end and hope this never has to happen again.