Is the Second Amendment a sacred cow?

There are 9 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 3,470 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

1st Official Post

    A retired US Supreme Court Justice, nominated by (republican) President Gerald Ford, has commented that the students demonstrating in favor of gun safety legislation should, in fact, go further.


    Justice John Paul Stevens has recommended that the Second Amendment should be repealed.


    "Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of separate states led to the adoption of that amendment, which provides that 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,'" Stevens wrote. "Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century."


    Stevens pointed to District of Columbia v. Heller, the 2008 landmark case that protected an individual's right to possess a firearm unconnected to a militia, as a turning point. The ruling — of which Stevens was a dissenter — overturned "long-settled understanding of the Second Amendment's limited reach," he said, and gave the National Rifle Association "a propaganda weapon of immense power."


    "Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the NRA's ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option," he wrote.


    While it would be hard to argue with his conclusion regarding the effect of breaking NRA control, he is certainly an optimist in thinking that overturning the DC v Heller decision through a constitutional amendment to deep-six the amendment most worshipped by some, would be simple!

    It would not be simple, and it won’t happen - at least not for several generations, if ever. That’s just the reality. Blasting the NRA as though it were an alien force completely misses the point that it speaks for members who want to keep their arms, who obey the law, and - who vote. So, if the NRA speaks for its own members and many others who haven’t joined but share - and vote - those beliefs, the Second Amendment is safe for many years to come.


    Another aspect of the discussion is shared here. The guy bloviates way more than he needs to (he could have made his point with half the words, or fewer) but his point is sadly valid.

    You’re right - the self-proclaimed ‘busethicsdude’ IS drunk with his own eloquence, but makes a fair point.


    However much I would love for the US to return to civil discourse and cross the great divide, it seems that even the most innocent comment by someone on the OTHER side of the divide brings about a disproportionately pugnacious response.

    Vulgarity, lying and bullying at a level once unthinkable among the commonest of men is now the coin of the realm from the lowest to the formerly loftiest.


    To quote the good professor:

    Samuel Johnson observed, "When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency." Let us endeavor to rediscover the lost art of civil conversation and regain hope.”


    [See — I’ve just hijacked my own thread, from the fantasy concept of repealing the 2nd amendment, to the lost land of civil discourse. If I had a semiautomatic weapon, I’d shoot myself.]

    Quote from Rice

    [See — I’ve just hijacked my own thread, from the fantasy concept of repealing the 2nd amendment, to the lost land of civil discourse. If I had a semiautomatic weapon, I’d shoot myself.]

    As a gun-owning Texan, I can assure you that semi-automatic is not necessary. Single-shot will work a treat. Unless you miss, then you’ll need to reload and start over.


    Please feel free to ask for more tips as needed.

    • Official Post

    I'm not American but even I know that the 2nd amendment will never be repealed. There are too many vested interests and, NRA aside, it's pretty much built into the DNA of every god fearing American to bear arms.

    Besides the fact that the US recently, has put itself on a war footing which, let's face it is good for business, most Americans would feel naked without a weapon stashed away somewhere.

    It's anathema to me as a Brit and in the UK you practically have to sell your soul to get a gun licence. It's that hard.

    The NRA has subverted the real purpose of the 2nd Amendment, and it has paid off richly for their sponsors, the gun mfgrs and dealers. People rabid on the subject cannot seem to grasp the difference between the right to own firearms for hunting and protecting one's household, and the right to own weapons meant to bring down an entire herd of stampeding armored tanks.


    While I greatly admire the Florida students attempting to change America's culture of gun violence, they have a steep uphill climb to get legislative changes on even the most egregious abuses. And a possible repeal of the Second Amendment is sheer fantasy.

    Quote from Splinter

    I'm not American but even I know that the 2nd amendment will never be repealed. There are too many vested interests and, NRA aside, it's pretty much built into the DNA of every god fearing American to bear arms.

    Besides the fact that the US recently, has put itself on a war footing which, let's face it is good for business, most Americans would feel naked without a weapon stashed away somewhere.

    It's anathema to me as a Brit and in the UK you practically have to sell your soul to get a gun licence. It's that hard.

    Sometime later I intend to add a few comments of my own to this interesting discussion regarding the 2nd Amendment;

    but for right this moment I just want to point out one statement "Splinter" made in the above quote:


    " 'I'm not American but even I know that the 2nd amendment will never be repealed' "


    Whenever I read / see that word "never" in a statement by someone (regardless of the subject at hand) I am reminded of what a dear friend of mine once told me:

    "Never" is a very, very long time; and she went on to tell me the following:

    Nothing lasts forever; yes, some things (and people) last longer than other things (and people), but absolutely nothing (her emphasis) lasts forever!


    My own experience over the years (in personal and public matters) has proved her correct!;)