(urth) The Politics Of Gene Wolfe
Jeff Wilson
jwilson at io.com
Fri Jul 2 11:02:37 PDT 2010
On 7/2/2010 12:38 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
> Anyway, the wording of the Second Amendment is-
>
>> "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."
>
> To me this wording suggests an interpretation counter to the standard
> Libertarian view which seems to focus on the word "free" and ignores the other
> 26 words. Bearing arms would seem to be meant for the defense of the state not
> to attack the state or defend against it. A "well regulated militia" sounds like
> a state organized function to me not some sort of individual defense against
> the state or lawless brigands or wild animals.
At the time "well regulated" meant kept in proper working order, like a
clock that kept accurate time and chimed at regular intervals. Militia
referred to the armed, able-bodied male populace rather than a
particular organization. Drills and deployment were arranged at the
state and local levels out of practicality.
--
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >
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