The Right to Bear Arms

Right now, as I type this there is a great push by certain "pro-gun" elements to convince people to go out and buy guns because the new American President is going to ban handguns or assault rifles or some such nonsense. Whenever talk of banning certain types of weapons arises, the conversations that ensue usually leave me shaking my head.

What really gets me though, is that through all these arguments, people always overlook the underlying issue. You see, on the defensive people talk about protecting your home and family, about hunting, about piece of mind; on the offensive people talk about crime statistics, accidental shootings, lack of necessity. Unfortunately both sides are missing the one important issue here: Intent.

You see, I love the constitution, it is a great piece of paper, but it is just that, a piece of paper. It was created by men of vision, but that vision wasn't all encompassing. Each item in the bill of rights was a product of its time, and as such we need to not look at the words as written, but the intent behind the words. So what was the intent behind the right to bear arms? Self defense against another individual? Hunting? Having something to do while drinking? No. The Right to Bear Arms was primarily intended to allow this countrie's citizens to take arms against threats both foriegn and domestic that attempt to, by force or by shenanigans, remove or infringe upon an individual's rights or operate without consent of the majority. There was supposed to be no standing army in the united states, instead each man was to be allowed to be a part of a local militia, arming himself to protect his homeland without need for a large standing military force. Understanding this intent we must then follow through with this chain of thought and accept that it isn't about small concealable weaponry, but milspec firepower.

So, you want to ban handguns? Go for it. Want to ban semi-automatic rifles? Go for it. But I demand my right to own an F16 and an Abrams! How am I supposed to fight off the American military if I can't own a Nimitz Class Carrier? Come to think of it, we are a nuclear superpower, I demand a peacekeeper missile! But no, you try and build one tiny thermonuclear warhead in your basement and suddenly the whole weight of the american investigatory system comes down on top of you. We have long since moved beyond the age where the right to bear arms is taken seriously by anybody other than the supreme court, and I am still keeping my eye on them.