THE SECOND AMENDMENT: TAKING IT OUT OF CONTEXT

By: Dan Clements

When reading anything, we must employ a hermeneutic. Usually we do this on the fly as we read. The most simple hermeneutic is who, what, when, where, why, and how. The one I use to study the Bible or an historical text is; lexical-syntactical, historical/cultural, contextual, theological (for my bible study), special literary methods. In order to be faithful to the word of God, I must read, study and understand Gods word the way God wants it understood. In order to do this I must have a logical method to employ so as not to misunderstand God’s word. We must look at the U.S. Constitution in the same way.

Our founding fathers laid out the Constitution while we were still under Articles of Confederation. We had a form of government that the founding fathers thought would not last long or provide for the safeguards that they sought to protect the people and the nation. So the republic was born.

In the preamble of the Constitution the first words are “We the People.” No where on earth and in no other time in history has a group of people come together with the Idea that the “people” were the supreme authority! That the power of government was granted by the people, and the people have the right and duty to control or change the government as they see fit under the constraints of the Constitution.

The ideas set forth in the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Federalists Papers, were and still are foreign to most people and governments around the world. And unfortunately they are foreign to a lot of Americans. It saddens me that more Americans do not take the study of our founding documents more seriously. It is hard to say if the lack of understanding is intentional or just laziness on the part of the people.

Social/fascist, don’t like the U.S. Constitution, because it puts the power where it belongs, in the hands of the people. The LSF (liberal, socialist, fascist) in this country and that populate the higher echelons of the Democrat party and higher learning, think that the common citizens of this country are not smart enough to govern themselves, so they try to take away the every powers the U.S. Constitution protects, namely, THE BILL OF RIGHTS. We the People should never ever forget that we grant the U.S. government the privilege to govern us. And as a privilege, it can be taken back or changed.

The second amendment is one of the first amendments that need to go under fascism. The right of the people to defend themselves, their families and their possessions from individuals or governments is fundamental to freedom.

Here are some quotes from our founding fathers I found on guncite.com:

Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive.
---Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution (Philadelphia 1787).

Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American...[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people.
---Tenche Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

Did you read the words of two of our founding fathers? Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed. Sound familiar? Does this sound like the 1920’s and 30’s! This is what happened in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The people were disarmed, and once this takes place, the last check and balance on the government is gone and freedom is soon to follow!

Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American...[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people. The right to bear arms is an American birthright? You bet it is and much more. Mr. Coxe understood that governments are only as moral as the men and eventually woman, populating government and bureaucracies are. It seems to me that the LSF’s in this country forget that our military is made up of freedom loving volunteers, who understand the cost of freedom and how to hold onto it. For the LSF’s to think for one moment that the American fighting soldier would turn their weapons on freedom loving Americans, who are only exercising their God given right to defend themselves, they are sadly mistaken. Ever hear of unlawful orders? Soldiers take and oath; I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC; THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME; AND THAT I WILL OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE ORDERS OF THE OFFICERS APPOINTED OVER ME, ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS AND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. SO HELP ME GOD. Do you read anywhere in that oath to protect and defend the government? No, it states the protection is of the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic! The U.S. Constitution sets up how the government shall govern. If at some point the government no longer governs according to the U.S. Constitution, we as American citizens can change that government back to it’s Constitutional foundations.

Too many people in this country have let the government do pretty much what it wants without regard to the Constitution. You can not make any laws that tries to take away the fundamental rights of the people, because the people are the supreme power that gives the authority to be governed and therefore the right to bear arms precedes government, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, that we as American citizens enjoy and will jealously defend.

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 shall not be infringed. I hope the UN is reading this article. They do not have any right to mandate or legislate from on high, any law that would diminish the capacity of the American citizen; to “keep and bear arms” it is our birthright and the last check and balance against a tyrannical government. So please when you read the U.S. Constitution, keep it in the context in which it was originally written, WE THE PEOPLE.

Dan Clements is a member of the Constitution Party and the host of BACK TO BASIC a Christian/political internet talk show. You can listen to Dan from 9am-Noont EST. M-F at www.constitutionalwarrior.com