An Antique 2nd Amendment?

Researching firearms and information always yields surprises and a recent article I found said:  “The Second Amendment is a ludicrous historical antique: Time for it to go.”

As Gun Talk readers know, the 2^nd Amendment speaks of “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.”

The article’s author points out that “since the U.S. has long since replaced its citizen militia with a robust standing military, plus the National Guard, the Second Amendment no longer applies.”

Somehow the seemingly “peaceful protests” in 2020 did not see the military or National Guard protecting life and property. And the police sure did not either as we saw in cities such as Portland, OR, and others.  So does this mean the 2^nd Amendment is outdated or not needed? Based on my experiences in rural Arkansas with my three physical-violence threats, I would say “No!”

I did not see the National Guard standing by to protect me, and I sure could not order up any troops to do so. Only a state’s governor or the U.S. president can do that. Also consider that the U.S. Supreme Court already has ruled that law enforcement has no duty to respond or protect citizens, so who protects us?

That answer is simple.

Each person ultimately is responsible for his or her safety, and the 2^nd Amendment guarantees our ability to do so. And by the way, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a report ordered by President Obama in 2012 following the Sandy Hook Massacre, estimated that the number of crimes prevented by guns could be as many as 3 million annually, or some 8,200 every day.

Adding to this and confirming defensive use of firearms: In 2021, the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the issue concluded that roughly 1.6 million defensive gun uses occur in the United States every year. Unreported uses could hike this total.

On June 23, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen case. In a 6-3 decision, the court’s majority ruled that New York’s carry law was unconstitutional, and ruled that the ability to carry a pistol in public was a constitutional right under the 2^nd Amendment.

That decision applies nationwide although a number of liberal states such as New York, several cities and some organizations have thrown up multiple roadblocks to hinder firearms possession and use.

As more states such as Washington pass co-called “assault weapons” bans, other states, most recently Florida and Nebraska, have affirmed Constitutional or permitless carry. Now 27 of our states honor that provision.

For yet another take on our “rights,” a MSN opinion piece titled “Why Nearly All of America’s 400 Guns Have Got to Go” posted: ”Many armed Americans are deathly — and irrationally — afraid of others. And so they have become a menace to the rest of us. According to a 2021 Gallup Poll, as many as 88 percent of gun owners are apparently terrified of being harmed, since they say the guns are for self-defense.”

My comment on this is, “Yes, I am afraid of others with intent to harm me and I do prepare to deal with that. However, having passed multiple background checks with police, the federal government, state governments and the FBI for secret clearance, I do not consider myself a menace to anyone else.  Apparently those agencies don’t either. But I am armed.”

As usual, the liberal lamestream media points to guns as the problem, rather than criminal elements.

I must add that indeed there are problems with recent shootings of innocents, without any threat or provocation. When a 16-year-old is shot for approaching the wrong house, or someone gets shot for pulling into a driveway, we all have a problem. This simply never should happen and certainly fuels the push for more antigun legislation.

But politics gets the blame for such legislation too. The MSN article concluded with: “We all feel this mounting dread, yet the Republican Party keeps making it easier for people to buy deadly weaponry, and the Democratic Party and many gun reform advocates still propose only marginally ameliorative measures, like more effective registration and so forth.”

Sadly, much of “gun control” effort happens when common sense is absent. Both political parties, in my opinion, do not approach firearms and legislation with a real-world view.

On April 24 this year, The Daily Signal noted that:

“Despite modern efforts to rewrite history to suit the needs of gun control advocates, the reality is that for more than 150 years, no serious legal scholar ever questioned that the Second Amendment protects an individual right that is premised not on hunting or sport shooting but on giving practical effect to every human being’s natural and unalienable right to self-defense.”

New York’s liberal governor Kathy Hochul does not agree and recently made it clear that she doesn’t think self-defense is ever justified. She said “No one has the right to take the life of another person.”

As Gun Talk readers know, firearms are not the problem. It’s the person committing a crime. I’ve yet to see how any legislation or political statement, regardless of party, can mandate rational thinking and actions.

Until facts convince me the 2^nd Amendment is an antique, I remain armed to Stay safe, be prepared. ~ Mike

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Mike Sampson
Mike now calls Northwestern Arkansas home, but has lived and worked in several states and internationally. He has been an independent contractor and consultant since 2006 specializing in risk management, emergency management and training. In addition to work as a law-enforcement planner and technical writer with the Boise, Idaho, Police Department, he has experience in journalism, crop and animal agriculture, dryland farming for 20 years in western Kansas, plant and animal diseases, pandemic influenza, agroterrorism, bioterrorism, food safety and healthcare marketing.

He has a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has newspaper and agency writing and editing experience. At Washington State University in Pullman, he earned a master’s degree emphasizing adult education and communications.

While living in Lander, WY, Mike provided photographic coverage of the One-Shot Antelope Hunt for three years, and got to meet and accompany folks such as Chuck Yeager, Carroll Shelby, Buzz Aldrin, Dale Robertson and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf on their hunts. He also worked as an outfitter’s guide.

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