The Cynical Liberal (original) (raw)

8:02p

Show of hands, if I were to say to you: "What right does the 2nd Amendment grant Americans, how many people would say:
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

We're taught that from childhood. The 2nd Amendment gives us the right to bear arms. The NRA has the above line of italicized text on the front of their headquarters. But guess what. That's not exactly what the 2nd Amendment says.

The exact wording of the text is:
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 right extended to Americans under the 2nd Amendment isn't "Everyone gets whatever weapon they want" it's "the govenrnment cannot infringe upon the state's right to have a well armed and regulated militia to protect the security and freedom of the state. To that end Americans have a right to own weapons."

That's a little different from what the NRA would like everyone to believe, don't you think?
Though clumsily written, doesn't it seem more logical that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" modifies the subject? since the people really aren't the subject of that sentence. If it were otherwise, would the framers have written it as:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, AND the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Maybe I'm splitting hairs. I dunno. Just seemed a bit odd to me...

(Incidentally, I'm not anti-gun. I'm pro-common sense regulation)