Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is releasing a new book in which he argues that the phrase “when serving in the militia” should be added to the Second Amendment.
The book is titled, “Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution”
The Second Amendment reads as follows: 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.
With Stevens’ proposed change: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms [when serving in the Militia] shall not be infringed.
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is set to release a new book in which he argues that the phrase “when serving in the militia” should be added to the Second Amendment.
The book is titled, “Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution,” and the change Stevens has in mind for the Second Amendment would alter the language so as to render it a protection of a collective right instead of an individual one.
Moreover, it would be a right that the government–at all levels–could regulate without hesitation.
Currently, the Second Amendment reads:
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.
Stevens’ contends that this was intended as a collective right only and that it was “limited in scope to the uses of arms related to military activity.”
According to The Washington Post, Stevens claims this was changed via the Supreme Court’s District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) decision. He says this decision suddenly introduced protections for “a civilian’s right to keep a handgun in his home for purposes of self-defense.”
Stevens says the McDonald v. Chicago (2010) decision furthered these changes by using “the due process clause of the 14th Amendment” to limit the ability of cities to ban the possession of handguns.
He says this can all be remedied by adding five words to the Second Amendment:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms [when serving in the Militia] shall not be infringed
the old bastard needs to craw in a hole and stay there his pea brain has dryed up
”FORMER” IS WHAT YOU NEED TO STAY !!!!
YOU NEED CORRECTING JERKWATER
NO!!!!!
“On every question of construction (of the Constitution) let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.” (Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823, The Complete Jefferson, p. 322)
“The whole of the Bill (of Rights) is a declaration of the right of the people at large or considered as individuals…. It establishes some rights of the individual as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them of.” (Albert Gallatin of the New York Historical Society, October 7, 1789)
“The right of the people to keep and bear arms has been recognized by the General Government; but the best security of that right after all is, the military spirit, that taste for martial exercises, which has always distinguished the free citizens of these States….Such men form the best barrier to the liberties of America” – (Gazette of the United States, October 14, 1789.)
“No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” (Thomas Jefferson, Proposal Virginia Constitution, 1 T. Jefferson Papers, 334,[C.J.Boyd, Ed., 1950])
shall not be infringed was put there for a reason ,probably so idiots like you wouldn’t try to change it.
leave the constitution as it is, just RE-READ IT. and HONOR YOUR OATH YOU TOOK BEFORE TAKING OFFICE.
No way No WAY!
Liberals refuse to answer the questions:
* What could go wrong??
* What are the unintended consequences?
* Should we learn from history?
Idiot!