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(Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, initiator of the Declaration of Independence, and member of the first Senate, which passed the Bill of Rights.) "The great object is that every man be armed ... Everyone who is able may have a gun." (Patrick Henry, in the Virginia Convention on the ratification of the Constitution.) "The advantage of being armed ... the Americans possess over the people of all other nations ... Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several Kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." (James Madison, author of the Bill of Rights, in his Federalist Paper No. 26.) "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." (Second Amendment to the Constitution.) Numerous sentiments like these were expressed during the constitutional debates. Here's my question to you: which one of those statements sounds like the Framers had deer-and duck-hunting in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment? The Framers gave us the Second Amendment so we could have at least a last-ditch fighting chance against government encroachment on our liberties. Who are the people who desperately want to disarm law-abiding Americans? The answer doesn't require rocket science to figure that one out. The strongest advocates of gun control are the very people who seek greater and greater control over our lives. They're the people who want to take away our rights to property freedom of speech and religion, and other liberties. They're cowards and want to feel safe doing so. They figure if we're first disarmed they can trample over our liberties with impunity. |