Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: 2nd Amendment showerthought... [View all]TeddyR
(2,493 posts)You accuse Second Amendment advocates of leaving out the "militia" part of the Second Amendment and then when you quote the Pennsylvania constitution you COMPLETELY ignore that it states the right of the people to bear arms "in defence of themselves and the State," because that language disrupts your narrative.
And of course there are others from the 1700s:
Vermont: That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State -- and as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power. Ch. I, art. 16 (enacted 1777, ch. I, art. 15).
Kentucky: That the right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned. Art. XII, § 23 (1792).
And if you go into the 1800s even more:
Connecticut: Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. Art. I, § 15 (1818, art. I, § 17).
Alabama: That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. Art. I, § 26 (1819).
Michigan: "Every person has a right to bear arms for the defence of himself and the State." Art. I, § 13 (1835)
Indiana: The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State. Art. I, § 32 (1851).
Colorado: The right of no person to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, shall be called in question; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to justify the practice of carrying concealed weapons. Art. II, § 13 (1876).
Idaho: The people have the right to bear arms for their security and defense; but the Legislature shall regulate the exercise of this right by law. Art. I, § 11 (1889).
And I always like Samuel Adams quotes:
"And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize 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
quoted in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the Convention of this State"