Bill of Rights protects individual rights - Reader comments at The New York Sun

Reader comment on:
Gunless D.C. Fires Back
in response to reader comment: Politics as usual

Submitted by Peter Caroline, Nov 26, 2007 18:49

In all of the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, the term "the people" refers to individuals. Why should the Second Amendment be construed to refer to a National Guard that did not even exist at the time the amendments were crafted? If the Supreme Court decides in favor of an individual right, many restrictive gun laws may be rightly taken off the books. If the Supreme Court should - God forbid - interpret the Second Amendment as a collective right, I fear that there may be a revolution in this country. 80 million gun owners may rise up in collective rage. This is not an issue about hunting and target shooting; it is an issue regarding our individual right to have the means to defend ourselves...yes, even against an oppressive government.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
I wonder how many body guards the Mayor of DC has. Is he surrounded by police when he is in... [MORE]	JL Galbreath	Nov 27, 2007 14:31
It should be clear by now that the "real" reason the Dems want your firearms is simple. An un-armed population... [MORE]	Ryan Johnson	Nov 27, 2007 09:18
Some years ago I was watching Bill Clinton talk about how the NRA was against anything that was safe. I... [MORE]	frank	Dec 2, 2007 22:56
Amen, and Amen. Without the 2nd Amendment, none of the others are worth the paper they are written on. An... [MORE]	Mitch	Dec 4, 2007 01:34
In whom do you place your trust? If you think that individual Americans are too stupid to make lawful decisions... [MORE]	Chris	Nov 27, 2007 08:48
It is unfortunate 3 out of 3 Appeals Court Judges did not decide in favor of gun rights for D.C.... [MORE]	Step Bro.	Nov 26, 2007 21:25
Mayor Marion Barry famously told the Washington Press Club, "Except for the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime... [MORE]	Shotgun	Nov 26, 2007 20:15
There are 2 types of "criminals" the DC gun ban does NOT affect; CRIMINALS who prey on unarmed law abiding... [MORE]	John Luvaro	Nov 26, 2007 19:50
But WE THE PEOPLE can wind up in jail and become the criminals instead of the victims as long as... [MORE]	Shotgun	Nov 26, 2007 22:48
Then let them try to enforce their stupid law. Would they arrest the entire city? You're not the only one. I... [MORE]	Charlie Hale	Nov 26, 2007 23:27
Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are no friends to gun owners, regardless of what they now claim. As... [MORE]	Peter Caroline	Nov 26, 2007 19:17
The fear that boils in the mayor of DC, and many other so called experts, is simple. They are afraid... [MORE]	CMT	Nov 26, 2007 18:25
Does the Bill of Rights give the government the right to free speech? Does it give the government the right... [MORE]	Harry F Chamberlin	Nov 26, 2007 17:40
Adrian Fenty stated in the article in a pittiful attempt to justify their unconstitutional gun control laws: ""It's the will of... [MORE]	JMullen	Nov 26, 2007 16:03
...I wouldn't go so far as to say that DC is "gunless." It's streets are awash with guns, to the... [MORE]	George	Nov 26, 2007 11:54
I find it amusing that the same people who are making the most noise about the Patriot Act being a... [MORE]	David	Nov 26, 2007 15:19
Mayor Fenty loathes the thought of DC citizens have the ability to resist armed criminal assault. Just whos side is... [MORE]	Carl	Nov 26, 2007 11:25
The Bill of Rights enumerates the rights as individuals we all have. [MORE]	Bill	Nov 26, 2007 10:49
This decision of the Supreme Court to hear this 2nd Amendment case is a double edged sword. The Supremes could easily... [MORE]	jharry3	Nov 26, 2007 14:25
jharry3, No, they won't take that position. The Bill of Rights enumerates rights guaranteed to the people throughout the country. They... [MORE]	turbo	Nov 26, 2007 17:15
Refering to the canidates, the article states "The answers will speak volumes about their views on a wide range of... [MORE]	Bruce V	Nov 26, 2007 10:05
Any of the candidates can cop out by saying "The issue is before SCOTUS and I will abide by the... [MORE]	Heard it all before	Nov 26, 2007 18:18
In all of the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, the term "the people" refers to individuals. Why should...	Peter Caroline	Nov 26, 2007 18:49
"Submitted by Bruce V, Nov 26, 2007 10:05 The first Ten Amendments to the Constitution are restrictions on government; they do... [MORE]	Leon	Nov 26, 2007 19:53
But he is far from pro second amendment or pro any rights as far as I have seen. McCain Finegold... [MORE]	David	Nov 27, 2007 10:54
I guess once you ban the 10 commandments it's no great leap of faith to invalidate something as recent as... [MORE]	Scott Werner	Nov 28, 2007 10:06