We Are, All of Us, The Second Amendment

Our amazing Second Amendment

As passed by 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.

As ratified by the individual States and then authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State at the time:

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.

This is our history. This is our lifebood as Americans. This is part of our Constitution, part of our Bill of Rights, our heritage and our legacy. Our Founders had great wisdom in weaving this into the tapestry of our Nation's rights and responsibilities. This is Freedom's Blanket. It is ours, and no other's.

Ours

It comes down to The Second Amendment being ours, one and all.

The Second Amendment does not speak to having a firearm to hunt with, or a firearm to shoot at a range, or a firearm to collect as a hobby. No. It is specific in its wording, albeit it has been grossly misinterpreted to mean other things, by many on both sides of the Freedom Issue.

The Second Amendment covers all Americans, giving us the permission and go-ahead that, if needed, we would be armed against the tyranny of any government that would seek to render us as no longer being Free. Any government. Foreign or domestic.

This means The Second Amendment is there for you. For me. For our neighbors, loved ones, and even strangers we have yet to meet. It is neither Republican or Democrat. It has no fealty to politics and no loyalty to lesser men. It serves us but refuses to be vandalized, abused, or represented recklessly for the sake of votes. It cannot be glibly used as a clever sound bite or journalistic quip. It is above such base actions. It deserves better, as does our Constitution as a whole.

The Safeguard

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying, "The beauty of The Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." Indeed, indeed.

He also is credited with saying, "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Right now it is common place for supporters and adherents of The Second Amendment, as it is written, to be slandered as being paranoid, extremist, or even as a domestic terrorists. I wonder if our Founders would face such vitriolic labeling were they here today, at a local meeting on gun control? They did aprove and ratify The Second Amendment, after all. And rightly so.

The Founders had the foresight to approve a safeguard wihin the words of The Bill of Rights that would be a last resort against being stripped of freedom through the corrupted wills and machinations of evil men. They knew what it meant to live as slaves to a mere man, being grinded down under the heel of his arrogance and erroneous sense of entitlement.

They did not want us, as the future generations of free Americans, to ever be forced to endure such oppression.

The Stereotype

Supporting The Second Amendment does not mean you will now seek to usurp the federal government. It does not mean you will now hoard huge arsenals complete with military-style weaponry and the appropriate ammunitions needed. It does not mean you are racist, anarchistic, or out to go on shooting rampages at crowded public venues. It does not mean you will cut off your phone lines, your Internet, your cable TV, and mail service because you believe the government is out to get you. The old media would have you believe this, but it is merely a stereotype perpetrated for effect.

The Truth

Supporting The Second Amendment means you acknowledge it and its potential usage, but you are surely not hoping it ever comes to that. Supporting The Second Amendment crosses out all man-made barriers, prejudices, and suspicions.

Being disciplined, rational, calm, collected, attentive, and meek is demanded to be a supporter of The Second Amendment. It profits none of us to be easily drawn into futile debates or arguments that have no discernible fruit at their conclusion. Like trying to put out a house fire with a water pistol.

There are unfortunately those who would willingly abdicate their freedoms for the group mindset, falsely believig all is well in America and our governments are to be trusted without restraint. And believe me, they will come sniffing around you like hungry wolves, the arguments poised upon the tongues of cowards and sycophants whose purpose is to simply be a distraction away from the steady path of a disciplined life.

The Finish

The Second Amendment is not asking for your approval.

It stands as the vigilant guardian of all Americans who are brave enough to see without blinders.

It doesn't care about your politics or who you voted for.

It doesn't care about your gender, your socio-economic status, your religion, or your favorite flavor of ice cream. It exists to keep you free. It exists to be that final resort safeguard, for the freedom we all would have.

All of us.

Long Live the Republic, indeed.