Let's look at the Second Amendment, shall we?
The Second Amendment was always understood in being related to a well regulated militia. The right to bear arms were about militias. Militias made up the bulk of American fighting forces against the British in the American Revolution. In the 1780's, everyone knew what a militia was and how important they had been in the victory over the British Empire. Notice the words "well regulated." Gun control is implied in the Constitution. It's right there. "Well regulated." The Supreme Court upheld this idea many times over the years.
Funny how so-called strict constitutional constructionists are only constructionist when it fits their world view. Funny how you see that little quirk in fundamentalism of all stripes.
But maybe you don't read it that way. Fair enough. There is a period in between the well regulated militia and the right to bear arms statements. That little dot can be confusing. Forget the Founder's intent for a moment (wait, what? says the libertarian demagogue). Lets forget about phrasing and correlation and semantics and all that hard stuff. Let's look at the historical context.
The world of the founding fathers was radically different than the world we live in today. As they wrote the Second Amendment there's no way they could have imagined AR-15's, massive magazines, and rapid fire handguns. They lived in the world of single shot rifles and if wealthy, dueling pistols. When they talked about arms they weren't talking about the kind of arms the NRA throws fits about these days. I don't think anyone would mind Charlton Heston holding up that old rifle on the podium if that was the only type of weapons the NRA wanted to protect. But they don't want to even allow you to begin a discussion about the absurdity of civilian ownership of weapons of mass destruction. Madison, Jefferson, Washington, all those guys were products of the Enlightenment. Rationality was of upmost importance. It's pretty clear they would be horrified by the irrationality of the guns rights movement today.
More context.
They lived in a world that was rural. Hunting was essential to survival and not just for getting food. Wild animals were a real threat. Life was dangerous in rural America. Native Americans being forced off their land were a threat to American farmers. Law and order often didn't extend very far past town limits. That's the world the founders were familiar with.
Yes, the threat of a tyrannical government oppressing the people was in the back of their minds. They had experienced that personally with the British. And the Electoral College exists because of their fear of mob rule. The Bill of Rights exist because of their concerns.
But today, an AR-15 is not going to stop the United States from coming after you if things go fascist or Stalinist. If an authoritarian government takes over the United States of America, your glock is not going to stop their smart bombs from blowing up your house. There may have once been a balance between the citizenry and the military. In the late eighteenth century there may have been more of a balance between the citizen militia and the standing American Army. But not today. The Military Industrial Complex has created a force so powerful and so strong, that if it came under the power of an autocrat, they will laugh at your assault rifle as they roll over you in their tanks. Your assault rifle is not going to help you against a tyrannical government no matter how many times you watch Red Dawn. It's a false hope.
Ballots, not bullets will keep our democracy safe from tyranny.
