In a way, the Second Amendment argument distills the entire leftist mindset, that words mean only what it is convenient for them to mean, at that particular time the issue is under discussion.

Finally, I have never read or heard an anti explain why he or she is so terrified of an armed citizenry. There may be some good explanations, even if I cannot conceive of them. It is, I suppose, possible that a desire to disarm the people is not linked to totalitarian impulses. However I can’t imagine any scenario which would end well for individual freedom were we to cede the federal and state governments a monopoly on deadly force. All power is subject to abuse, and it is inevitable that power will always, eventually be abused. I don’t have enough faith in our leftist friends’ good intentions, honesty and integrity not to fear their demands for absolute power.

Go trawl through DU or Kos, and tell me that some of those people would not march us into camps if they could. Tally up the death toll from revolutions by the people with the best of intentions, and tell me I don’t have to be suspicious of the utopians.

No group gets absolute power over all of us, and a free and armed citizenry is an obvious safeguard against that ever happening.

Well regulation in no manner implies the regulation of the tools (i.e weapons) used by the militia.

Sorry CHOW, but I think GWR has you beat. The Bill of Rights covers individual rights, plain and simple. I’m not sure what is so difficult about that to understand.

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.

RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS.

That’s pretty straightforward, not much gray area there and it certainly seems to be talking about the “tools”.

Freedom of religion and speech, the right to be safe from unreasonable searches, protection against self-incrimination – all of these are rights for every citizen, not of groups. No one in their right mind would suggest that the right to free speech is only for specific groups, not for every American.

The second amendment is no different. The argument that you only get to bear arms if you’re in the military or the national guard or whatever the anti-gun crowd is designating this week as a “militia” is frivolous. The right to bear arms is just like the right to free speech – it belongs to the individual citizen.