Gun Quotes : Well Regulated

Well regulated means, "something being in proper working order”, aka well calibrated or functioning as expected.

Well regulated means, "something being in proper working order”, aka well calibrated or functioning as expected. But even if we pretend that it means “government regulated”, it would still be irrelevant because it is part of a nominative/descriptive clause, thus it wouldn't change their right to bear arms, "shall not be infringed".

ℹ️ Info

~ Aristotle Sabouni
Created: 2017-04-20

❝ "the Amendment does not protect “the right of militiamen to keep and bear arms,” but rather “the right of the people.”” ❞
~ D.C. Court of Appeals (Upheld in Heller) ℹ️ (2007)

❝ If "well regulated" meant "under government control”, then it would no longer be a militia, but the army/navy. ❞
~ Logic ℹ️

❝ "[t]he adjective 'well-regulated' implies nothing more than the imposition of proper discipline and training.” ❞
~ DC v. Heller ℹ️ (2008)

❝ "The words "well-regulated” is used as an adjective, modifying "militia," which is followed by the main clause of the sentence (subject "the right," verb "shall"). The right to keep and bear arms is asserted as essential for maintaining a militia.” ❞
~ Prof. Roy Copperud ℹ️ Journalism Professor at USC. American Heritage Dictionary usage panel. Merriam Webster's cites him as expert.

Well regulated means, "something being in proper working order”, well calibrated or functioning as expected. Even if we pretend that it means “government regulated”, it would still be irrelevant because it is part of a nominative/descriptive clause, and wouldn't change their right to bear arms ("shall not be infringed").

💭 Civic Responsibility
There’s an even more expansive view, that “well regulated” points to the 2nd being more than just a 19th century usage of the term, "an individual right", but instead is the 18th century usage which means "civic right". This is even worse for gun controllers, because that view means that you not only had a right to bear arms to belong to a militia, but you also have a civic duty (civic responsibility) as a citizen to do so (almost mandatory service). Which implies that anyone is failing in their responsibilities as Americans to NOT buy guns and become part of a well functioning militia. So the gun-controllers are better off with it being an individual right than it being a civic one.

However the invention that "well regulated" might be a back door to inventing new restrictions on the 2nd, wasn’t first heard until the 1960’s. (This was after the first wave of gun control in the 20’s and 30’s had only increased our crimes and shootings).

So what this argument is arrogantly proclaiming is that in the 1960's they discovered a word ambiguity that the Founding Fathers, and their progeny, never knew of. Thus for the first 200+ years of the country, every Historian, Linguist, Legal and Constitutional scholar or mind that had read these things, was too stupid to realize what the 2nd really meant, and thus we should ignore all that common sense and stare decisis (legal precedence, and history), because a few hippie progressives knew more than everyone else before them, combined.

Does anyone really buy that?

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Quotes
Life is a finite series of notable quotables.

Guns
Guns are a tool. Gun prohibition is like the prohibition on drugs, alcohol or crime.

2nd Amendment was about the militia
...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed ~ 2nd Amendment, Bill of Rights

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