From Colorado
The Kidnapping of the Second Amendment
Even those of us who don’t know all the amendments in our constitution know the gist of the Second Amendment, adopted in 1791: “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.”
We know it because our Second Amendment has been the excuse for a multi-billion dollar arms business which has inadvertently enabled the deranged to shoot our school children as well as innocent citizens who may have gathered to hear a concert.
Organized under the umbrella of the National Rifle Association, which has an impressively large building within a few short miles of our capital, the N.R.A suggests arming teachers with arms. Why not? The cost of buying guns for the teachers will add more money to the gun industry’s cash box.
In its gut the N.R.A must know that it has kidnapped the Second Amendment. If the manufacturers could be sued for selling war arms it might go to the Supreme Court which in turn might interpret the Second Amendment’s meaning differently than the N.R.A’s perception. To protect themselves, to keep the Second Amendment in their hold, the N.R.A lobbyist made sure that in 2005 Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which George W. Bush signed into law. In essence the law states that the arms manufacturers could not be held liable in civil court for crimes “resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse” of firearms or ammunition.
Lets look in depth at the Second Amendment. In 1791 we did not have phones, no official mail delivery, no pony express, no telegraph and in the winter people were isolated. Yes, every man and woman had to be armed to have “A well regulated Militia.” Today we have well regulated militias: the United States Armed Forces and the National Guard. Is the N.R.A telling us that we need to be armed with military weapons in the face of the United States Armed Forces and our National Guard?
Fortunately, our forefathers realized that someday our constitution might have to be updated. Our constitution has provisions that allows us to legally repeal the Second Amendment. Children who have watched their schoolmates being killed are protesting the Second Amendment. Families are scared by what the Second Amendment protects. There are organizations protesting our gun laws. Voters are questioning how their representatives see the gun issues. Students and voters have and will continue to organize marches in Washington D.C. and across the country. They're fighting for common-sense gun safety measures, and Americans nationwide are showing their support. But how will this be enacted? Let us remember Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s words: “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Let us tell our legislatures how gun safety can be achieved. Let us do what our forefathers enabled us to do legally: repeal the Second Amendment. We need an amendment that puts gun laws in a proper perspective.
Edith Lynn Beer is a seasoned journalist who covers news in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.