Second Amendment: “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 Second Amendment was drafted by James Madison and ratified by the Founding Fathers in 1791. Constitutional experts like to interpret the Constitution literally. So let’s do that.
All elected officials must follow the Constitution by passing laws that will “well regulate” militias when owning and using guns.
Any reasonable person should agree to regulate this issue as follows:
• Regulate who can own or have access to a firearm. People with known mental illness should be on lists to restrict their use. A teenager should not own or have free access to a firearm.
• Weapons of war should not be owned by the public. I was in the military. Assault rifles are too deadly for the population. Even in 1791 they did not allow the public to own a cannon.
• Control what kind of ammunition is legal. Hollow point rounds and other damaging ammunition should be outlawed. They are designed to kill humans.
• Regulate how many rounds can be in a magazine. This is an obvious requirement. We must limit the deaths during assaults.
These are just a few of the ways that a “well regulated” militia should function. Madison and the founders would surely agree with these measures.
So why do our current politicians deviate from this logic? Because they are greedy deviants. We need to take away their power if they are going to abuse it. Vote them out of office if they will not follow the Constitution that they pretend to support.
D. Anderson, Sandy
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible