Right to Bear Arms (Split from Firearm Thread)

[CaptainHenreh]

rex, just post that video. Kinda convinced me.

Adam does not need convincing, he's just being a troll.

This is an excellent article, written during the AWB period, by much respected police officer Massad Ayoob:

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It's an excellent defense of civilian possession of an automatic (I tend to use "machine gun" as the law does when referring to "one-trigger-pull:many bullets" firearms) centerfire rifles.

Adam, were I to pretend for a moment that he was actually serious, was not talking about the assault weapons ban, but rather the need for civilian ownership of semiautomatic centerfire rifles.

As gerald mentioned (and Evan made an excellent metaphor for) the Second Amendment is NOT about hunting. It's also not just about overthrowing a tyrannical government, it's about the common man being responsible for common defense: the unorganized militia, who in the end is responsible for his own safety, and, if he chooses, the safety of his neighbors.

To quote a section from the article above:

At the time, the Japanese Empire certainly understood [the power of an armed populace] as it drafted plans to invade the mainland United States. In 1960, Robert Menard was a Commander aboard the USS Constellation when he was part of a meeting between United States Navy personnel and their counterparts in the Japanese Defense Forces. Fifteen years had passed since VJ day, most of those at the meeting were WWII veterans, and men who had fought each other to the death at sea were now comrades in battle who could confide in one another.

Someone at the table asked a Japanese admiral why, with the Pacific Fleet devastated at Pearl Harbor and the mainland US forces in what Japan had to know was a pathetic state of unreadiness, Japan had not simply invaded the West Coast.

Menard would never forget the crafty look on the Japanese commanderÔÇÖs face as he frankly answered the question. You are right, he told the Americans. We did indeed know much about your preparedness. We knew that probably every second home in your country contained firearms. We knew that your country actually had state championships for private citizens shooting military rifles. We were not fools to set foot in such quicksand.

The second amendment does not allow, but demands that the citizens be responsible for the safety and security of country and constitution, against enemies foreign and domestic.

Not so much about hunting.

But even if the second amendment WERE about hunting, it's still a foolish argument. Bolt action rifles can be cycled very quickly, and in fact when the Germans were fighting with the British, they thought the British were using semi automatic rifles because they were so disciplined at cycling and shooting their Lee-Enfields. On the flipside, an automatic is *very* useful for hunting! An automatic allows a quick followup shot without taking your eyes from the sight picture, which ensures that a wounded animal will not suffer if it is not killed with the first shot, or to allow a hunter to take two animals if he chooses. Not to mention that the most powerful centerfire rounds are almost always bolt action, as in order to make a semi-auto rifle that is light enough to be manageable, you're pretty much limited to a .308 Winchester, for technical reasons.

I'm kind of all over the place here, but I hope I've brought some light to the subject.

In other news, I got a new hogue grip on my AR, along with a nice buttpad and cheek saddle, it seems alot more ergo friendly now, we'll see.


Edit: Adam, before you jump on the "The National Guard is our Militia!" argument, please see US Code: TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART I > CHAPTER 13 > § 311 then get back to me.