What does the Second Amendment mean to you?

For me, the Second Amendment is a right recognized in the foundation of our country and government intended to ensure no entity can deny our freedom and enslave us for their purpose. Anyone can choose to not exercise any right they feel isn’t needed, but once a right is given up it is extremely hard to recover that right. I see every right equally as important and necessary to exercise, but the Second Amendment is a last stop if all else fails to be a deterrent and fail safe to the loss of freedom. This isn’t a simple right that one should carelessly exercise and I believe that it is so stated in the wording of the amendment itself. We all should know the wording of the amendment and I will break down my view of it. “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”.

I believe in “a well regulated militia”, they meant the people having sufficient training and understanding on how to use and maintain arms. It wouldn’t make sense to me to have people with no understanding on how to properly and safely use weapons, or how to properly care for those weapons to freely exercise a right as it would justify those against the amendment in attempts to take away such a right. I believe everyone should have this right but with every right it should be properly understood and used in a responsible manner. The use of the word militia, I believe, was a description of all the people in the country. I know some will point out they, in the calling for participants in the militia, stated men aged 17 to 45, but it is well documented all genders and ages outside of the 17-45 were vital participants in the militia activities.

“Being necessary to the security of a free state” was not talking about a state but as in a state of being. They had just spent decades under the control of a monarch , and the representatives of that monarch, corrupt and bent on power and restricting the rights of the people. Our foundation was built on the intent of the people being free in their own right and able to pursue dreams and ambitions. It was to avoid a repeat of being taxed and forced to comply to the will and desire of another. In current times we see groups of people trying to push their agenda and trying to block people from gathering and communicating their beliefs. These groups try and cancel those that have a different opinion in even the smallest topic. They try and force people into accepting views and preventing rights because of how these groups feel. This is not a free state for the people, but this is a foundation for tyranny. Everyone should have the ability to voice their opinion but it is up to everyone else if they choose to listen or move on to do their own thing. I don’t agree with everything I hear or see, but I respect the right of those who try to present their opinion and I am always willing to engage in productive conversation. I find the value in other opinions and maybe I can learn something I didn’t know…or maybe I can help someone else understand something better. You never know without the willingness to have a conversation. With that being said I will not agree with trying to force someone to hold your point of view or trying to punish them for having a differing opinion.

The final portion “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, I feel is the most clear. I also feel this is where those looking to restrict or repeal the Second Amendment are most incorrect. You have some people that say the government can limit what arms people can have and that this, as well as all other amendments, can be repealed. The Tenth Amendment prohibits the federal government from taking powers not expressly given to it nor does it allow it to work around limitations applied to it. So I feel it is an absurd statement saying that no amendment is absolute, if it limits the federal government from taking that power then they can’t just repeal that amendment. If they could it would just defeat the limitations placed on the government to protect the people. If you went to another branch of the federal government and they agreed you could take that right away, how does that comply with the limitations set upon the government? I know we celebrate the Supreme Court for making rulings the agree with the pro right side, but in reality if they didn’t it doesn’t change the fact that the government doesn’t have that power no matter how much they throw a fit and claim they do. Only those ignorant or blind to the facts would agree with the government in such claims.

While I’m not making any calls to violence or for people to be criminals. I am asking people to stop, look art what’s going on and think about all the laws, claims and actions taken by the government and those acting on behalf of the government, openly or secretly. There will be people that don’t agree with either side, but just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean you get to dictate what other people do, but you do get to defend your rights and the rights of others. I do encourage you to voice your opinion and to stand up for your rights. I do encourage you to remind your representatives in every level of government from local city to federal government that they work for us and they have a duty to stay within the bounds of the founding documents. If they attempt to exceed those limitations remind them that their positions are temporary and they will be voted out of that position and replaced with someone that will respect those limits. Demand that all extra power the government has taken be relinquished back to the people. Do not accept infringements on your rights or those of others. I want you to know your place in the food change is above the government. They do not control us, we control them and I do hope that everyone takes the time to remind them of that.