Gun Control Tide Turning ? - The Firearms Forum

Shizamus · 08-11-2003, 10:54 AM

American citizens should celebrate and assert their 2nd Amendment Right
by Bearing their holstered firearms on the 2nd of Each Month all day in
the normal course of their activities. This would require no expensive
march on Washington D.C., but would establish in the minds of the public
the normalcy and visible existence of this Right. This is needed as an
adjunct to the legal and political efforts to maintain it. It would be
suprising if the crime rates did not go down on this day if this were to
be done. If we can have a MLK/Civil Rights day, we can have this as it
is the freedom that secures all others!
Noah Webster warned, "If the citizens neglect their duty and place
unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted, laws
will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local
purposes. Corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the
laws, the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men and the
rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded."

1952Sniper · 08-11-2003, 01:35 PM

It would make a statement alright.....

About how many people would fit in our jails.

08-11-2003, 01:48 PM

What Shiz suggested is perfectly legal in SD without a license of any kind.

Course you would have to stay out of courthouses.

When coonhunting and deer hunting I have been in many places of business with a sidearm on my side in plain view.

08-11-2003, 09:09 PM

The Gun-Control Tide Is Turning
by Scott McPherson, August 4, 2003

Advocates of the right to keep and bear arms have modest reason to celebrate these days. The state of Alaska recently became the second state, after Vermont, to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms without a permit or any of the restrictive measures, such as fingerprinting or background checks, that often accompany the permit-application process.

And on July 15 the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 6-1 that “a citizen’s desire to exercise the right to keep and bear arms for purposes of security is at its apex when undertaken to secure one’s home or privately owned business.” The decision came when the court heard the case of a Milwaukee store owner who was arrested for having a loaded gun in his pocket. The police were enforcing the state’s draconian concealed-carry law, which allows only “peace officers” to carry concealed weapons.

The Wisconsin court ruled, however — on the basis of a 1998 amendment to the state’s constitution that states that “people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation, or any other lawful purpose” — that protecting oneself while at home or one’s place of business is clearly consistent with that “other lawful purpose” standard.

These two events mark small but significant victories for America’s gunowners and all supporters of individual freedom.

Do they signal a sea change in the way most Americans are thinking about guns? Can we now expect widespread support for the repeal of our nation’s many unconstitutional gun-control laws? Unfortunately not.

Still, what does seem to be happening, at the very least, is that more and more Americans are rejecting the absurd, leftist, 20th-century invention of a “collective right” to own a gun (e.g., through a state agency such as the National Guard) in favor of an individualist interpretation of the Second Amendment more consistent with the intentions of the Framers. More important, a few state governments seem to be listening.

When writing the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Framers wanted to ensure that the citizenry at large would be armed to protect their respective states against foreign aggression or a tyrannical central government; this was the general militia (as compared with the “select” militia, which they greatly feared) early statesmen were talking about when they wrote the Second Amendment.

The Founders wanted to maintain a constant and large supply of gunowners who could defend liberty were it ever to be seriously threatened again. Remember, these men had lived through the early days of the American Revolution; they had seen the militia at work on April 19, 1775, when armed farmers swarmed like bees on an invading British army and sent it back to Boston in tatters. Whatever their misgivings about the militia replacing a conventional standing army, they knew first-hand that a countryside full of armed citizens was the greatest first line of defense.

Tench Coxe, a personal friend of James Madison (who with George Mason co-authored the Second Amendment), summed it up best when he wrote, “Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American.” Such men would be horrified to hear modern Americans claim that gun ownership was a right only of government employees. For these early Americans, one of the citizen’s first duties was to own a gun — if necessary, as a last resort for use against government employees.

At the same time, the right of an individual to own and use a gun to defend his home and property would have been accepted as a given, not even worthy of discussion or debate — which is precisely why it was never discussed, let alone debated, in either the Constitutional Convention or early congresses. People would own guns for the broad purpose of security, as the Wisconsin court has acknowledged. If someone wishes to argue that home, state, or national security should be assigned orders of importance, it doesn’t weaken the case for an individual right in the least.

Ever since the 2000 presidential election, many pundits have been warning Democrats that gun control is a losing issue. Many believe that key Democratic states such as Tennessee and Arkansas, which should have been easy pickings for Al Gore, were nonetheless lost because of his anti-gun proposals.

In the same vein, these pro-gun victories in Alaska and Wisconsin suggest that a minor groundswell is taking place in our country. Even if most Americans are still (mistakenly) prepared to support “reasonable” gun control at the federal level, such as background checks, they are also (wisely) signaling that such measures should not be used to erode the general right to own guns.

We may be a long way from abolishing all of our failed, immoral, and unconstitutional gun-control laws, but this year’s actions taken by the Alaska legislature and the Wisconsin Supreme Court indicate that, however slowly, the tide is finally moving in that direction.

so.............. yep!

Mausermania · 08-30-2003, 06:16 PM

If you want to try this in Maryland please make sure you bring your toothbrush! You will be enjoying a state sponsored vacation for a little bit.

08-11-2003, 10:54 AM	#1
Shizamus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Vermont Posts: 891	Gun Control Tide Turning ? American citizens should celebrate and assert their 2nd Amendment Right by Bearing their holstered firearms on the 2nd of Each Month all day in the normal course of their activities. This would require no expensive march on Washington D.C., but would establish in the minds of the public the normalcy and visible existence of this Right. This is needed as an adjunct to the legal and political efforts to maintain it. It would be suprising if the crime rates did not go down on this day if this were to be done. If we can have a MLK/Civil Rights day, we can have this as it is the freedom that secures all others! Noah Webster warned, "If the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted, laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes. Corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws, the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded." __________________ “The Matrix is a system, Neo, and that system is our enemy. When you are inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters, the very minds we are trying to save. Until we do, these people are part of that system and that makes them our enemies. You have to understand that most of these people are not ready to be unplugged and many are so hopelessly dependent on the system, they’ll fight to protect it. “The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” - Morpheus, in the movie, “The Matrix” -->

08-11-2003, 01:35 PM	#2
1952Sniper Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 5,138	It would make a statement alright..... About how many people would fit in our jails.

08-11-2003, 01:48 PM	#3
warpig Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	What Shiz suggested is perfectly legal in SD without a license of any kind. Course you would have to stay out of courthouses. When coonhunting and deer hunting I have been in many places of business with a sidearm on my side in plain view.

08-11-2003, 09:09 PM	#4
Zigzag2 Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	The Gun-Control Tide Is Turning by Scott McPherson, August 4, 2003 Advocates of the right to keep and bear arms have modest reason to celebrate these days. The state of Alaska recently became the second state, after Vermont, to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms without a permit or any of the restrictive measures, such as fingerprinting or background checks, that often accompany the permit-application process. And on July 15 the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 6-1 that “a citizen’s desire to exercise the right to keep and bear arms for purposes of security is at its apex when undertaken to secure one’s home or privately owned business.” The decision came when the court heard the case of a Milwaukee store owner who was arrested for having a loaded gun in his pocket. The police were enforcing the state’s draconian concealed-carry law, which allows only “peace officers” to carry concealed weapons. The Wisconsin court ruled, however — on the basis of a 1998 amendment to the state’s constitution that states that “people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation, or any other lawful purpose” — that protecting oneself while at home or one’s place of business is clearly consistent with that “other lawful purpose” standard. These two events mark small but significant victories for America’s gunowners and all supporters of individual freedom. Do they signal a sea change in the way most Americans are thinking about guns? Can we now expect widespread support for the repeal of our nation’s many unconstitutional gun-control laws? Unfortunately not. Still, what does seem to be happening, at the very least, is that more and more Americans are rejecting the absurd, leftist, 20th-century invention of a “collective right” to own a gun (e.g., through a state agency such as the National Guard) in favor of an individualist interpretation of the Second Amendment more consistent with the intentions of the Framers. More important, a few state governments seem to be listening. When writing the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Framers wanted to ensure that the citizenry at large would be armed to protect their respective states against foreign aggression or a tyrannical central government; this was the general militia (as compared with the “select” militia, which they greatly feared) early statesmen were talking about when they wrote the Second Amendment. The Founders wanted to maintain a constant and large supply of gunowners who could defend liberty were it ever to be seriously threatened again. Remember, these men had lived through the early days of the American Revolution; they had seen the militia at work on April 19, 1775, when armed farmers swarmed like bees on an invading British army and sent it back to Boston in tatters. Whatever their misgivings about the militia replacing a conventional standing army, they knew first-hand that a countryside full of armed citizens was the greatest first line of defense. Tench Coxe, a personal friend of James Madison (who with George Mason co-authored the Second Amendment), summed it up best when he wrote, “Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American.” Such men would be horrified to hear modern Americans claim that gun ownership was a right only of government employees. For these early Americans, one of the citizen’s first duties was to own a gun — if necessary, as a last resort for use against government employees. At the same time, the right of an individual to own and use a gun to defend his home and property would have been accepted as a given, not even worthy of discussion or debate — which is precisely why it was never discussed, let alone debated, in either the Constitutional Convention or early congresses. People would own guns for the broad purpose of security, as the Wisconsin court has acknowledged. If someone wishes to argue that home, state, or national security should be assigned orders of importance, it doesn’t weaken the case for an individual right in the least. Ever since the 2000 presidential election, many pundits have been warning Democrats that gun control is a losing issue. Many believe that key Democratic states such as Tennessee and Arkansas, which should have been easy pickings for Al Gore, were nonetheless lost because of his anti-gun proposals. In the same vein, these pro-gun victories in Alaska and Wisconsin suggest that a minor groundswell is taking place in our country. Even if most Americans are still (mistakenly) prepared to support “reasonable” gun control at the federal level, such as background checks, they are also (wisely) signaling that such measures should not be used to erode the general right to own guns. We may be a long way from abolishing all of our failed, immoral, and unconstitutional gun-control laws, but this year’s actions taken by the Alaska legislature and the Wisconsin Supreme Court indicate that, however slowly, the tide is finally moving in that direction. so.............. yep!

08-30-2003, 06:16 PM	#5
Mausermania V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: State of confusion-Maryland Posts: 365	If you want to try this in Maryland please make sure you bring your toothbrush! You will be enjoying a state sponsored vacation for a little bit.