"Both the oligarch and Tyrant mistrust the
people, and therefore deprive them of arms."
-
Aristotle
"The 2nd amendment has the clause, "A well-
regulated militia..." and the "bear arms" phrase is strictly a
militia term."
- nobrainmass, The Left Bullies the NRA, 26 December 2012
If the Second Amendment did not apply to individuals, there would be no need for it since
Article I, Section 8 speaks of militias….in not one, but two places:
Article
I, Section 8, Clause 15 states:
"The Congress shall have Power To provide for
calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress
Insurrections and repel Invasions;"
From Mackubin Owens, Professor
of National Security Affairs, Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research
Institute, United States Naval War College:
For the Founders, the
militia arose from the Posse Comitatus, constituting the people as a whole and
embodying the Anglo-American idea that the citizenry is the best enforcer of
the law. "A militia when properly formed," wrote Richard Henry Lee in
his Letters From the Federal Farmer,
"are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of
bearing arms." From its origins in Britain, the Posse Comitatus (meaning
to be able to be an attendant) was generally understood to constitute the
constabulary of the "shire." When order was threatened, the
"shire-reeve," or sheriff, would raise the "hue and cry,"
and all citizens who heard it were bound to render assistance in apprehending a
criminal or maintaining order. The Framers transferred the power of calling out
the militia from local authorities to the Congress.
The Anti-Federalists
were not pleased. They wanted the militia to remain under state control as a
check on the national government. Many feared that an institution intended for local
defence could be dispatched far from home. As Luther Martin objected:
“As it now stands,
the Congress will have the power, if they please, to march the whole militia of
Maryland to the remotest part of the union, and keep them in service as long as
they think proper, without being in any respect dependent upon the government
of Maryland for this unlimited exercise of power over its citizens.” "Genuine Information," 1788.
In the "Calling Forth" Act of 1792
a/k/a The Militia Act of 1792, Congress
exercised its powers under the Militia Clause and delegated to the President
the authority to call out the militia and issue it orders when invasion
appeared imminent or to suppress insurrections. While the act gave the
President a relatively free hand in case of invasion, it constrained his
authority in the case of insurrections by requiring that a federal judge
certify that the civil authority and the Posse Comitatus were powerless to meet
the exigency. The President had also to order the insurgents to disband before
he could mobilize the militia. This was the procedure that President George
Washington followed during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.
In 1795, Congress
refined the language authorising the President to federalise the militia:
[W]henever the United
States shall be invaded, or be in imminent danger of invasion from any foreign
nation or Indian tribe, it shall be lawful for the president to call forth such
number of the militia of the state, or states most convenient to the place of
danger, or scene of action, as he may judge necessary to repel such invasion,
and to issue his orders for that purpose to such officer or officers of the
militia, as he shall think proper.
But even such clear
language was insufficient to prevent a challenge to presidential authority
during the War of 1812. At the outset of the conflict, President James Madison
ordered the governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts to provide militia
detachments for the defence of the maritime frontiers of the United States.
These governors, however, were Federalists who opposed the war. They claimed
that they, not the President, had the authority to determine whether an
emergency existed. Governor Caleb Strong of Massachusetts requested an opinion
of his state's Supreme Judicial Court, which concluded that this right was
"vested in the commanders-in-chief of the militia of the several
states." Op. of Justices 8 Mass. 548 (1812)
The issue was finally
resolved by the Supreme Court in 1827 in Martin
v. Mott, 25 U.S. 19. Although the case explicitly concerned the validity of
a court-martial of a militiaman, the decision rendered by Justice Joseph Story
validated the claim that the President had the exclusive right to judge whether
there was an exigency sufficient for calling forth the militia. State
governors, however, retain concurrent authority to call out their respective
militias to handle civil and military emergencies, Houston v. Moore, 18 U.S. 1 (1820).
Article I, Section 8,
Clause 16 states:
"The
Congress shall have Power To provide for organizing, ARMING, and
disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be
employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States
respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training
the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress."
The militia, long a
staple of republican thought, loomed large in the deliberations of the Framers,
many of whom were troubled by the prospect of a standing army in times of
peace. For the Founders, a militia, composed of a "people numerous and
armed," was the ultimate guardian of liberty. It was a means to enable
citizens not only to protect themselves against their fellows but also,
particularly for the Anti-Federalists, to protect themselves from an oppressive
government. "The militia is our ultimate safety," said Patrick Henry
during the Virginia ratifying convention. "We can have no security without
it. The great object is that every man be armed....Everyone, who is able, may
have a gun." Both the Pennsylvania and Vermont constitutions asserted that
"the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and
the state...."
The Anti-Federalists
feared that Congress would permit the militia to atrophy, leaving the states
defenceless against the central government. In the Virginia ratifying
convention, George Mason, while advocating a stronger central control over the
militia, nevertheless argued that there was a danger that Congress could render
the militia useless "by disarming them. Under various pretences, Congress
may neglect to provide for arming and disciplining the militia; and the state
governments cannot do it, for Congress has an exclusive right to arm them
&c." The desire to prevent enfeebling state militias, which provided a
check to a standing army, prompted the ratifying conventions to call for an
amendment guaranteeing the right of citizens to bear arms. The First Congress
responded, but the Second Amendment did not remove national control over armed
forces or the state militias.
Federal preemption of
state-militia legislation commenced very early in the history of the Republic.
In Houston v. Moore, 18 U.S. 1
(1820), the Supreme Court stated that the federal government's power over the
militia "may be exercised to any extent that may be deemed necessary by
Congress."
Despite the generally
poor performance of the militia during the Revolution, Federalists recognized
that without a militia, there would be no United States military establishment.
They believed, however, that they could minimise the weaknesses of the militia
by creating a select militia corps in each state and establishing federal
control over officership and training. The ultimate Federalist goal was to turn
the militia into a national reserve of uniform, interchangeable units. In 1792,
Congress passed the Uniform Militia Act, which remained the basic militia law
of the United States until the twentieth century. This act established an
"obligated" militia, based on universal military service. All
able-bodied white men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were required
to enroll. But the act fell far short of Federalist goals. It did not create select
state corps and, most importantly, did not impose penalties on the states or
individuals for noncompliance. For the most part, the states ignored the
provisions of the act. The abysmal performance of the militia during the War of
1812 ensured the demise of the obligated reserve as established by the Founding
generation.
The obligated militia
was succeeded by the "uniformed" militia, local volunteer units
generally equipped and supported by their own members. In addition, the states
continued to provide volunteer citizen-soldiers when the regular U.S. Army had
to be expanded, as was the case during the Mexican War and the Civil War. After
the Civil War, the uniformed militia reemerged as the National Guard, but,
unhappy with their largely domestic constabulary role, guardsmen lobbied for
the mission of a national reserve. In the Militia Act of 1903 (the Dick Act),
amended and expanded in 1908, Congress divided the eligible male population
into an "organised militia" (the National Guard of the several states)
and a "reserve," or "unorganised," militia.
In response to an
opinion by the Attorney General that the Militia Clause and the Dick Act
precluded the employment of guardsmen outside of United States borders,
Congress included in the National Security Act of 1916 (amended in 1920 and
1933) provisions that explicitly "federalised" the National Guard.
This act, as amended, has continued to govern federal-state military relations.
By giving the United States Army extensive control of National Guard officers
and units, and by making state forces available for duty overseas, the National
Security Act of 1916 essentially stripped the states of all of their militia
powers. It effectively repealed the power of the states to appoint officers by
limiting such appointments to those who "shall have successfully passed
such tests as to...physical, moral and professional fitness as the President
shall prescribe." The law stated that the army of the United States now
included both the regular army and "the National Guard while in the
service of the United States." In Cox
v. Wood, 247 U.S. 3 (1918), the Supreme Court validated the action of
Congress, holding that the plenary power to raise armies was "not
qualified or restricted by the provisions of the Militia Clause."
The World War I draft
completely preempted state sovereignty regarding the militia by drafting
individual guardsmen directly into the United States Army. In The Selective Draft Law Cases (1918),
the Court held that the states held sway over the militia only "to the
extent that such actual control was not taken away by the exercise by Congress
of its power to raise armies."
The transition of the
National Guard into a national reserve reached its completion during the Cold
War. Despite the existence of a large regular army, Guard units were included
in most war plans. But with federal funding, which covered about ninety-five
percent of the costs, came federal control. While governors continued to call
up the Guard to quell domestic disturbances and to aid in disaster relief, they
discovered that their control was trumped by federal demands. For instance, in
protest against United States actions in Central America during the 1980s,
several governors attempted to prevent units from their states from deploying
to Honduras and El Salvador for training. In response, Congress passed a law
"prohibiting a governor from withholding consent to a unit of the National
Guard's being ordered to active duty outside the United States on the ground
that the governor objects to the location, purpose, type, or schedule of that
duty." In such cases as Perpich v.
Department of Defence, 496 U.S. 334 (1990), the Court supported Congress's
position.
With the end of the Cold War, the National Guard's role as a national reserve
was called into question. As a result of the terrorist attacks of 11 September
2001, some observers believed that the Guard could return to a domestic
constabulary role. On the other hand, extensive military commitments abroad
have required the Guard to remain an active element in the United States armed
forces.
The protester of the
individual's right to bear arms writes "the
'bear arms ' phrase is strictly a militia term."
From a copy of the English Bill of Rights of 1689 - that's exactly a century before the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was drafted, approved and ratified. 100 years! No mention of the military...just Subjects (and not limited to males either) and Protestants!
"Bearing
arms" and other colloquialisms are not rooted in military, but in the
parlance of the day. In 1685, James II forbade Protestants from "bearing
arms" even as he permitted Catholics to bear arms, illegally. It was his
desire to return England to the Catholic Church. Needless to say, his reign was
short and he was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. The English Bill of
Rights of 1689 make similar references. With regard to Protestants, the EBoR,
specifically, states that Protestants shall have the right to bear arms for
their own defence.
"IF
they wanted INDIVIDUALS to protect and defend each other, they
could easily have written in this."
-
nobrainmass, The Left Bullies the NRA, 26 December 2012
So sayeth one unfamiliar with the Federalist Papers, the minutes of the
Constitutional Convention, and the writings of the Founding Fathers.
Put
simply: They did.
"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."
"NO FREEMAN SHALL EVER BE DEBARRED THE
USE OF ARMS."
- Thomas Jefferson,
the author of the Declaration of Independence, 1776
"Those who hammer their guns into
plowshares will plow for those who do not."
-
Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States
"Firearms stand next in importance to the
constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone
under independence … from the hour the
Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurrences and tendencies prove
that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally
indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil
interference — they deserve a place of honour with all that's good."
-
George Washington, First President of the United States
"TO PRESERVE LIBERTY, IT IS ESSENTIAL
THAT THE WHOLE BODY OF THE PEOPLE ALWAYS POSSESS ARMS and be
taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-
Richard Henry Lee, American Statesman, 1788
The strongest reason for the people to retain the
right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against
tyranny in their government."
- Thomas Jefferson
"The great object is that every man be
armed...EVERYONE WHO IS ABLE MAY HAVE A GUN."
-
Patrick Henry, American Patriot
"And that the SAID CONSTITUTION BE
NEVER CONSTRUED TO AUTHORISE CONGRESS to infringe the just liberty of the
Press, or the rights of Conscience; OR TO PREVENT THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES, WHO ARE PEACEABLE CITIZENS, FROM KEEPING THEIR OWN ARMS; …"
- Samuel Adams,
Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, 20 August 1789, "Propositions
submitted to the Convention of this State"
"Are we at last brought to such
humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for
our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and
under our direction and having them under the management of Congress? If our
defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be
trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in OUR OWN HANDS?"
-
Patrick Henry, American Patriot
"[The Constitution preserves] the
advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost
every other nation..(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with
arms."
-
James Madison, the author of the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, No. 46
"… the people are CONFIRMED BY THE NEXT ARTICLE IN THEIR
RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR THEIR PRIVATE ARMS."
- Philadelphia
Federal Gazette, 18 June 1789, Pg. 2, Col. 2 Article on the Bill of Rights
"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the
people of the United States, who are peaceable CITIZENS, from KEEPING
THEIR OWN ARMS..."
-- Samuel Adams
"The governments of Europe are afraid to
trust the people with arms. If they did, the people would certainly shake off
the yoke of tyranny, as America did.”
- James Madison
"Americans need not fear the federal
government because they enjoy the advantage of being armed, which you possess
over the people of almost every other nation.”
-
James Madison
"...to disarm the people (is) the best
and most effective way to enslave them..."
-
George Mason, co-author of the Second Amendment
“Arms in
the hands of citizens [may] be used at individual discretion... in private self-defense..."
- John Adams, A
Defence of the Constitution of the Government of the USA, 471, 1788
"Before a standing army can rule, the
people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The
supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the
whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band
of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States. A
military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as
the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the
power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the
execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive."
-
Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal
Constitution, Philadelphia, 1787
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is
the WHOLE PEOPLE. TO DISARM THE PEOPLE IS THE BEST AND MOST EFFECTUAL WAY TO
ENSLAVE THEM."
-
George Mason, co-author of the Second Amendment, during Virginia's
Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788
"The
people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full
possession of them."
- Zachariah Johnson,
Elliot's Debates, Vol. 3, "The Debates in the Several State
Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution"
"A militia, when properly formed, are in
fact the people themselves …"
-
Richard Henry Lee, writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the
Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788.
“One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to
have occasion for them."
- Thomas Jefferson to
George Washington, 1796
"To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at
individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of
towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution,
and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a
dissolution of the government."
- John Adams, A
Defence of the Constitutions of the United States, 475
"The constitutions of most of our States
assert that all power is inherent in the people; that... it is their right and
duty to be at all times armed."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"The strongest reason for the people to
retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect
themselves against tyranny in their government."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"The constitution ought to secure a
genuine [militia] and guard against a select militia... To preserve liberty, it
is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be
taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Richard Henry Lee
"The great object is that every man be
armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun."
-- Patrick Henry, 3
Elliott, Debates at 386
"The best we can hope for concerning the
people at large is that they be properly armed."
- Alexander Hamilton,
The Federalist Papers
"A free people ought not only to be armed
and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to
maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them,
which would include their own government."
- George
Washington
"Arms in the hands of citizens [may] be
used at individual discretion... in private self-defence..."
- John Adams, A defense of the Constitutions of the Government of the USA, 471
(1788)
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is
the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to
enslave them."
- George Mason,
Co-author of the Second Amendment during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the
Constitution, 1788
"One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have
occasion for them."
- Thomas Jefferson to
George Washington, 1796
"A strong body makes the mind strong. As
to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate
exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the
mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent
for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your
constant companion of your walks."
- Thomas Jefferson to
Peter Carr, 1785
We established however some, although
not all its [self-government] important principles. The constitutions of
most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they
may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves
competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative,
and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact
is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that
it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."
- Thomas
Jefferson, letter to Justice John Cartwright, June 5, 1824. ME 16:45.
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of
arms."
- Thomas Jefferson,
Virginia Constitution, 1776
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people
themselves …"
-
Richard Henry Lee, writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the
Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788.
"The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They
are left in full possession of them."
-
Zachariah Johnson, Elliot's Debates, vol. 3 "The Debates in the Several
State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution."
"[The Constitution preserves] the
advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost
every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people
with arms."
- James
Madison,The Federalist Papers, No. 46.
"To suppose arms in the hands of citizens, to be used at
individual discretion, except in private self-defense, or by partial orders of
towns, countries or districts of a state, is to demolish every constitution,
and lay the laws prostrate, so that liberty can be enjoyed by no man; it is a
dissolution of the government."
- John Adams, A
Defence of the Constitutions of the United States 475
"The best we can help for concerning the people at large is
that they be properly armed."
- Alexander Hamilton,
The Federalist Papers at 184-8
"A free people ought not only to be armed
and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to
maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them,
which would include their own government."
-
George Washington
"One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have
occasion for them."
- Thomas Jefferson to
George Washington, 1796. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
"It is reported that in some parts of
this State (South Carolina), armed parties are, without proper authority,
engaged in seizing all fire-arms found in the hands of the freedmen. Such
conduct is in clear and direct violation of their personal rights as guaranteed
by the Constitution of the United States, which declares that 'the right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'"
- Union General Rufus
Saxton reporting to Congress circa 1870
For
two examples, both the Pennsylvania and Vermont constitutions asserted that
"the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and
the state" and this was prior to the Doctrine of Selective Incorporation,
which applied the Bill of Rights to the states. No, it was not always
thus. Massachusetts had it very own state church until 1833 and could
fine folks for failing to attend. This did not violate the First
Amendment since it only applied to the Federal government at the time.
"The 2nd
neither allows nor prohibits individuals from gun ownership. This should be the
beginning to any discussion regarding guns. And 'the people' refers to the
'collective', NOT individuals."
- nobrainmass, The
Left Bullies the NRA, 26 December 2012
It
recognises (doesn't grant) the RIGHT of the people to bear arms...a RIGHT
that shall NOT be INFRINGED.
You claim that "the people" refers to the collective and not the
individual. OK, dearie, let's see how far you want to take that:
THE FIRST AMENDMENT:
"Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or THE
RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A
REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
According
to your logic, YOU, individually,
have NO
RIGHT TO PROTEST (ASSEMBLE) OR TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF
GRIEVANCES.
Isn't this fun?
THE FOURTH AMENDMENT:
"The RIGHT OF THE
PEOPLE to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants
shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to
be seized."
Since
it is "The RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE,"
then you, individually, have no right to be secure in your "persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures." The right of THE
PEOPLE, collectively, then
"shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause…”
But, since "THE PEOPLE" is
collective and not individual, nobrainmass is SOOL.
Purty
kewl, eh, nobrainmass?
The FIFTH and SIXTH
Amendments speak to "person." The SEVENTH has to do with diversity
and subject matter jurisdiction. The EIGHT is a blanket prohibition on
excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishments. Now, we come to the living constitutionist's favourite amendment:
THE NINTH AMENDMENT:
"The
enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to
deny or disparage others retained BY THE PEOPLE."
It
was here - within the penumbras, peripheries, and emanations - that a right to
privacy was found, not for ”THE PEOPLE”,
collectively, as nobrainmass would argue ”THE PEOPLE” means, but for the
individual.
Nobrainmass, shall the Ninth's "THE
PEOPLE" be read differently than the Second's "THE PEOPLE" only because you hold the right to an abortion
more important than many of us hold our constitutional right to bear arms for
defence of self and liberty, ALONG WITH SPORT AND HUNTING?
Is there some Cliff's Notes cipher that will tell us when "THE PEOPLE" is meant to be the
collective and when it is meant to be individual? Maybe, the all-seeing-and-all-knowing
nobrainmass will deign us with one.
BTW: All of those Second Amendment cases to which you are referring from the
19th century and the 1930s, would never have found a right to privacy for a
married couple to use birth control. Are you sure that you want to be locked
into their legal analysis?
These people speak like
nobrainmass, the "Do Somethings!" and the "Absolute
Shalls":
"If I could've gotten 51 votes in the
Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of
them...'Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ‘em all in,’ I would have done it.”
- Senator Diane Feinstein
"We'll take one step at a time, and the
first is necessarily ... given the political realities ... very modest. We'll
have to start working again to strengthen the law, and then again to strengthen
the next law and again and again. Our ultimate goal, total control of handguns,
is going to take time. The first problem is to make possession of all handguns
and ammunition (with a few exceptions) totally illegal."
--Peter Shields, founder of Handgun Control Inc., New Yorker Magazine, 26 June
1976
"The most foolish mistake we could
possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms. History
shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjected peoples to carry
arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as
to say that the underdog is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any
sovereignty. So, let’s not have any
native militia or police.”
- Adolph Hitler, Edict of 18 March 1938
"Germans who wish to use firearms should
join the SS or the SA. Ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns
doesn't serve the State."
- Heinrich Himmler
"We must get rid of all the guns."
- Sarah Brady, Handgun Control, Inc. on the Phil Donahue Show, September 1994
"All military type firearms are to be handed in
immediately...The SS, SA and Stahlhelm give every respectable German man the
opportunity of campaigning with them. Therefore anyone who does not belong to
one of the above named organizations and who unjustifiably nevertheless keeps
his weapon...must be regarded as an enemy of the national government."
- SA Oberfuhrer Bad Tolz, March 1933
"Waiting periods are only a step.
Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the
goal."
- Janet Reno, US
Attorney General
"Banning guns addresses a fundamental
right of all Americans to feel safe."
-
Sen. Dianne Feinstein; Associated Press, 18 November 1993
"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the
rights of ordinary Americans."
- Bill Clinton, USA
Today, 11 March 1993
“I know this was a congressional law that was
passed [allowing guns], but I don’t want to rubber stamp it. I guess just call
me a crazy liberal or something, but I think there are enough guns out there…I
can appreciate my fellow council members trying to ease my mind on this, but if
Superman was carrying a gun I wouldn’t be OK with it.”
-
Nancy Howard
"...the rank and file are usually much
more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially
simple and repetitious."
- Joseph
Goebbels
THE HYPOCRITES....
"And, I know the sense of helplessness that people feel. I
know the urge to arm yourself because that's what I did. I was trained in
firearms. I'd walk to the hospital when my husband was sick. I carried a
concealed weapon. I made the determination that if somebody was going to try to
take me out, I was going to take them with me."
- Senator Dianne
Feinstein, C-Span, 27 April 1995
Nevada Senator Harry Reid was joined by NRA Executive Vice President
Wayne LaPierre, members of Nevada's congressional delegation, state and
local leaders over the weekend for the grand opening of the Clark County
Shooting Park. Reid led the effort to secure the land and funding
needed to build the 2,900-acre world-class shooting park. The new
facility will make our communities safer, protect the natural desert
environment and provide a place for people of all ages to learn about
shooting sports. "Nevadans aimed high when we set out to create the
largest and most advanced shooting range in the world," said Reid. "But
we kept a steady eye on our target. And today, with great pride, Nevada
has hit the bulls-eye."
“When I was Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, I had a lot of bad people after me and I carried a gun every place I went.”
- Senator Harry Reid
- Tom Hanks
- Nanny Doomberg
- Dianne Feinstein
- Angelina Jolie
and Brad Pitt
- Kim Basinger
- Alec Baldwin
- Madonna
- Rosie O’Donnell
- ChuckYou Schumer
- Michael Moore
