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Quote by: GHook I admit I go back on forth on this one. On one hand I think the founding fathers were clear that they wanted gun ownership being the one of the pinnacles of American society.

What they were clear about was that they wanted the defense of the country in the hands of "the people", meaning well regulated civilian militias, rather than a full-time standing army, which they equated with old world aristocracies and did not trust. Read the Federalist Papers. That's exactly why they wrote the second Amendment the way they did, with a qualifying preface.

Quote by: GHook I think the right to gun ownership is important and I am more of a mindset of preserving the constitution rather than ignore it, but its protection of the 2nd amendment seems to be hurting us greatly.

Actually, the law of the land for the past 70 years -- that is, the standing case law precendent of the Supreme Court and overwhelming majority of the lower Federal Circuit Courts -- is that you do NOT have an individual right to own firearms, only a collective right based on the maintenance of a well-regulated militia.

That precedent has only just now been challenged last March in DC v. Heller, which will be decided in June. It will be interesting to see if the conservatives on the Bench, including Bush's two most recent appointments, keep their words when they declared they wouldn't be activist judges and would respect precedent.

Somehow I doubt they will.

Quote by: PubliusInfinitu You were born with an inalienable right to your life and to pursue the fulfillment of that life; furthermore, with that right comes the sacred duty to defend that life and right (along with the life and rights of your neighbors) as well as the means to exercise the pursuit of the fulfillment thereof, from usurpation by those determined to do so...

And yet, interestingly enough, only our political rights are guaranteed by the constitution. For instance, you have an inalienable right to defend yourself and your family from injury and disease, don't you? So where's your constitutional right to healthcare? You have an inalienable right to feed and shelter yourself and your family, right? Again, where in the constitution does it guarantee you that right?

All the Constitution guarantees is your right to keep arms necessary for the maintenance of a well-regulated civilian milita, and to bear those arms when called upon in the service of that militia.

Quote by: PubliusInfinitu Well Britain banned Guns and as a result is realizing massive spikes in violent crime...

That's interesting, because Britain has had strict gun control for centuries, yet only recently experienced a spike in crime. I too would like to see your source that led you to conclude there's a connection.

Quote by: PubliusInfinitu But here's the thing... for a right to be valid, it must bring responsibility; meaning that through your own actions, you perpetually maintain the viability of the right itself.

Well, given that the United States is the most violent, morst murderous wealthy, civilized nation on earth, we've pretty well failed in upholding our responsibilities towards our "right" to possess firearms, haven't we.

Quote by: PubliusInfinitu Thus where there is no responsibility, there can be no right.

You said it, not me.

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