Please detail.
No, the right to bear arms comes from the government
Technically that would make it a “privilege”.
India has a very well established armaments industry of its own, you know.
I live in South Korea, which has very strict gun laws. I visited the Czech Republic last March and was surprised to see many gun shops in Prague. Of the two, I guess I feel safer walking around Korea.
“In addition to the Continental Army regulars, local militia units, raised and funded by individual colonies/states, participated in battles throughout the war. Sometimes, the militia units operated independently of the Continental Army, but often local militias were called out to support and augment the Continental Army regulars during campaigns. (The militia troops developed a reputation for being prone to premature retreats, a fact that was integrated into the strategy at the Battle of Cowpens.)” wiki
IMO, the myth of the Minuteman has had a mischievous influence.
Incidentally, I don’t know what you’re on about with the battle of Athens. The link requires a membership.
You are inferring that we would have been OK and would have still won the war if we had t o wait for arms from France etc…You have given no evidence to that.
To claim that just because they were paid they were not “of the people” and using their own arms is also irrelevant.
They were a self armed force even according to your “wikipedia” cite.
Also note, why did you ignore my modern reference to rebel armies? There have been dozens of uprisings in the past century that were won by populations who only had small arms and a limited number of captured heavy weapons.
On that note, I recently read an interesting article saying that the US constitution seems outdated nowadays, and that countries writing new constitutions don’t look to the US constitution as an example any more.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/03/03
Well it is quite obvious that there may be improvements over centuries, but your linked article is just an opinion piece that does not indicate what needs to be changed or why except in nebulous terms.
The charters of rights he references are not too different from our constitution, can you say why a people should not have the right to remove their government by force if needed?
I find it suspicious that he has limited this right to “every person on the planet”.
What about his moon colony? Is he planning on leading that and denying gun rights to preserve his leadership?
Well, because of the glass dome, firearms were categorized as weapons of mass destruction. Also, very large sticks and opera singers.
As an aside, I’d like to reiterate that rights aren’t physical properties of the universe. They’re lists of shit people want. If a society gets together and decides there is a right, you’ve got one. You can declare whatever rights you want, but unless you’re actually able to exercise it, you don’t have it.
When I look at the US constitution, it seems to me that it’s too vague on many issues that are considered self-evident today. The constitution of Switzerland (my home country), as a comparison, was written in 1848 (inspired by the US constitution), totally revised in 1874, and rewritten from scratch in 1999. It’s a lot more detailed than the US constitution.
http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/101/index.html
One obvious thing that’s missing from the US constitution: something explicitly saying that men and women should be equal before the law.
As far as removing a government by force: IMHO that shouldn’t be in the constitution in a democracy. In a democracy, the proper way of changing government should be through the democratic process - electing new legislators and changing laws, or electing new executive leaders.
Your country is severely bent when it comes to handguns. I, a Canadian, would appreciate it if you would keep your guns to yourself, and leave those of us who are far more peaceable alone. Quite simply, your handgun ideology is not welcome here.
Gender equality is well entrenched in case law and it would have been great had they ratified the amendment twice when it was passed it would have little effect today.
We do have several ways, short of force to replace the government, but the idea is that the cost to the military would be high if they tried to take over so that it reduces the chance it will.
Switzerland, where you keep your service rifle at home has a similar method.
I do not think it should be forced upon people, personally I think both factions in the UN are misguided. The people should be able to decide how they maintain the power, the UN should not try to actively ban civilian firearm ownership, which they have tried, nor force on them as the crazy little Newt wishes.
Discrimination based on sex is constitutionally prohibited in Canada (Charter, s. 15), resutling in our now having same sex marriages. Sex based discrimination is not prohibited in the USA, constitutionally or otherwise, thus it is permitted there to discriminate based on sex by prohibiting same sex marriage.
It’s a fundamental principle that should be stated in any country’s constitution. A constitution that doesn’t include it is incomplete.
This! There aren’t any such things as “rights” in that absolute sense. There are only “interests,” some of which are very well protected, and others of which are debated and contested.
In an “absolute” moral sense, obviously, yes, gays have the right to marry. But we’re only now beginning to implement that right. It’s one we’re fighting for.
Heck, in an “absolute” moral sense, we all have the right to be nude. The idea that governments can compel people to put on garments is a grotesque intrusion into our freedom. However, I think it will be a damn long time before that “right” ever becomes sufficiently well protected to be exercised!
The only claim I made was that militia units during the American Revolution were largely ineffective in battle. Are you claiming that the Continental Army was self-equipped? Where’d they get the cannons?
I suppose that some soldier used his own musket, especially given how the Continental Army was often short on equipment. I’ve never heard that it was common practice, though.