| People tend to look at the 2nd Amendment and ignore the 9th Amendment. That's a mistake.
The fundamental question is: Does an individual have a right to self-defense?
Yes.
Does that individual have a right to use tools in his attempt at self-defense?
Yes.
He therefore has a right to a firearm for use in self-defense.
Does an individual have a right to eat?
Yes.
Does he have a right to shoot an animal for food (as thousands of men did, no doubt, in 1787)?
Yes.
He therefore has a right to own a firearm for survival, as well as self-defense.
The founders understood this fundamental principle.
They also understood history. History is full of examples where a king or other government person claimed a right to rule over other men. They understood that would-be tyrants always demanded that the people disarm. They also understood that foreign invaders might be able to surprise attack somewhere before a military could be organized to defend the territory.
So, in writing the US Constitution, they defined the powers of the federal government and split up the powers of the federal government and the state governments.
The Bill of Rights were demanded by many people to amend that document because many people were suspicious of this new federal government. They wanted it made clear that the feds' powers were in fact limited. Each item is a limitation on the feds' powers. They knew from history that the nature of government is to abuse power.
The 2nd Amendment was a limitation on the powers of the federal government, disallowing it to prohibit firearm ownership of militia members.
This did not in any way kill off the fundamental right of self-defense or of taking actions to secure food for survival. The 9th Amendment is the most overlooked amendment but it is the most important to individual liberty. I would argue that it is the most overlooked because it is the most important to individual liberty -- which means it is the most vile to would-be tyrants, whether they are elected to office or appointed to a bench (or live in bureaucrat land).
Every individual has a fundamental right to own the tools of self-defense and survival. These are fundamental rights that existed way before the Constitution. In addition, each individual also has a fundamental right to join a militia. The only restriction is that the federal government is expressly prohibited from prohibiting militia members from bearing arms (which is exactly what tyrants attempt to do).
Any government that does not respect these basic principles is a government that does not respect liberty.
~ zynner |