When it comes to the founding fathers and framers of this great nation, their collective genius cannot be overstated. Really, these guys were brilliant! Case in point, the Second Amendment which, as I’m sure you know, reads:
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.
It doesn’t get much better than that. What’s more, it contains all the answers to our biggest existential threats. By that I mean terrorism and tyranny. Yup, the Second Amendment covers em both.
But it’s important to remember that the Second Amendment isn’t just concerned with one’s individual right to keep and bear arms, the operative clause of the Amendment. It also underscores the need for a “well-regulated militia,” the prefatory clause of the statement.
I’m not going to get into a whole etymological discussion about what the founders and framers meant by “well-regulated militia,” but the simplest and most sensible interpretation is that it means a well-trained body of civilian soldiers. It’s not an army or a navy controlled by a government nor is it a municipal police force, but rather, it is a coordinated group of citizens who are armed and prepared to confront all threats to the safety and freedom of individuals.
To put it bluntly, the founders knew that to keep a free state free civilians ought to be armed, organized and trained. In the U.S., we have the first part pretty much down pat. We have 112.6 guns per 100 residents, by far the most in the world. In most places in this country, if you want a gun, you can get your hands on one.
However, where we are derelict in exercising this critical right is we aren’t all that organized and we aren’t all that trained. This is troubling to me, particularly in light of the attacks in Paris. Think about it. Sure, being armed is a huge piece of the puzzle. And it’s probably enough when you’re dealing with a lone outlaw or spree killer. But, when you’re confronting an established group of determined evildoers, it’s not enough to simply be armed. You need to be trained, and you need have the backing and support of fellow armed and trained civilians. Together, we need to have a plan.
I’ll pose some questions to you: How many of your neighbors do you know? How many of them are like-minded patriots and gun owners? Have you ever discussed with them what you would do in the event of an emergency? Have you trained with them on how to deal with various exigent circumstances? Do you have plan?
If you’re like me, the answers to those questions are depressing. I know few neighbors, I have no idea whether they’re gun owners, and if the SHTF and there was a large-scale assault in my neighborhood, I’d be able to defend myself and my household to an extent, but I certainly wouldn’t be in a position to help in a larger effort to eliminate the threat. I don’t have a plan that involves other citizens.
If I’ve learned one thing from the attacks in Paris it’s that, well, actually I’ve learned more than one thing, I guess I’ll call it two things for the sake of brevity. First, governments are wholly inept at protecting people. They’ve proven time and time again that they can’t keep us safe (not that we ever wanted them to). With all the technology, manpower and money at their disposal, they’ve done a woeful job of combating real threats. Seriously, between the extraconstitutional surveillance, the drones, the billions of dollars and the hundreds of thousands of employees, if governments weren’t able to see the attacks in Paris coming they were either in on it or are horribly incompetent.
Second, It’s time we rely on ourselves. Screw the government! After all, we are responsible for our own safety. The sooner we realize this as a nation, the safer we will all be. As I said, it starts with the Second Amendment. And I think it’s time we fully exercise this right.
In today’s day and age, it’s not enough to simply be armed. We need to open up the lines of communication with our neighbors and like-minded members in our community, we need to organize and we need to train together. If we do this, if we unite and create a network of like-minded individuals with an adherence to certain core principles, i.e. the Constitution, we will become a truly formidable force that will be poised to fight terrorism and tyranny.
When they come for us, which is inevitable, let’s be ready. Let’s show them what armed and coordinate resistance looks like. Let’s show them that we’re not willing to go gentle into that good night. Let’s show them the full brunt of the Second Amendment.
My brother who is an avid hunter and sportsman derided and made fun of me when I built my custom AR-15 back in the mid-90’s!
He even made fun of me calling it a pea shooter when I announced I was going to shoot deer with same!
Well when I dropped a 8 point cull deer like he’d been hit with truck with ONE SHOT and after all the anti-gun and black trash riots, he now owns FIVE AR platforms in various configurations (one with passive IR and IR laser) along with over 5000 rounds (with more coming) of .223/5.56!
We now have between us and our friends and relatives enough fire power to dissuade anyone from approaching the premises or his neighborhood during any public strife or national emergency!
DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!
Wondering what your thoughts are on “Next door” website/app http://www.nextdoor.com. for possibly organizing your neighborhood protection group? It is a social media platform that groups you by address location. I can see some advantages and disadvantages to it’s use.
I won’t get into the weeds about what the Framers meant or didn’t mean. But I do know this: When you start organizing armed citizens training to defend themselves as a group you are officially on the government’s radar. You’re now a threat and will be treated as such. Great idea but I’m keeping my head down. And stocking up on guns, bullets and biscuits. MOLAN LABE
Having served in the DoD and US Intelligence Community for 45 years, I can assure you that your concerns are well justified.
Having read the article twice and now having read the comments, most of you are forgetting to address the most important part of the second amendment “…shall not be infringed”.
2nd 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.”
Requiring a permit is an infringement. Forbidding certain types of weapons is an infringement. Barring weapons from certain areas is an infringement. If you have to ask permission it’s no longer a right.
The Second Amendment IS my concealed carry permit.
The definition of “well regulated militia” is simple and basic. Go back and look up the definition of “well regulated” as it applies to use at the time the Constitution was written.
You will see that it meant “in good working order” IE: that is a well regulated timepiece you have sir. It meant that whatever item the term was being applied to had all the parts needed and was able to work in the manner it was built to. IE: that is a well regulated piano my friend.
A well regulated militia, were citizens who were ready to go to war. IE: well armed, well equipped for the task at hand. In other words, armed and ready for conflict at all times! It goes hand in had with the second clause of the amendment.
Totally agree. But would like to add one thing. Having the materials and supplies for a specific purpose isn’t half of what is needed. A militia is useless without the knowledge to perform its purpose and training to back it up. Just because a person has a vehicle doesn’t mean they can drive. Same as untrained civilians with firearms. Toss 50 of them together and you have major accidents waiting to happen. Weekend shooters might be able to punch paper. Put them on a three gun course and how many will be on the sidelines out of breath banged up? Everyone that is able should take time to train. Keep themselves as fit as possible. Airsoft courses are one of my favorites. It gives me confidence in being able to not just shoot but perform.
From USA Today, March 5th, 2013 article by Donna Leinwan Leger:
“Radical anti-government “patriot” groups and militias, galvanized against gun control, will continue to grow even as the number of groups operating in the USA reached an all-time high in 2012, a report Tuesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center finds…” (How they figure folks acting to uphold the Constitution, the very structure of our Government, are “radical anti-governemnt,” is beyond me).
“…The Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit civil rights advocacy group based in Montgomery, Ala., defines the patriot movement as groups of people who believe the federal government is conspiring to confiscate Americans’ guns and curtail liberties to create a socialist government or “new order.” …the center said.” (Boy! I don’t know where we could have gotten that idea?)
It just shows how polarized in ideology America is right now.
We now have a society where it is OK to profile and demonize freedom loving Patriots, but it is wrong to profile young, Arab males at airport screenings, because that would offend someone.
Got sidetracked sorry, 16 hrs straight working. Anyway. Serving this country does a few things. Teaches a person basic firearms training, battle tactics, evasive maneuvers, also gives a person a sense of pride for their country. How to be part of a team. To think not of one’s self but others. Not to mention it helps strengthen muscles around the backbone which most people lack nowdays. Even if a person chooses to serve in a hospital, it gives them skills they can use in times of need. Warriors occasionally need patching up. Especially when rubbing dirt directly doesn’t fix the problem. It teaches a person how to care for another. And how to react in stressful situations. As for the last choice, growing food is the most basic skill sets a person needs to know. It gives a sense of pride, knowing that you are able to provide sustenance for another. This country has lost it’s sense of community. People have gotten away from working together toward common goals. It has become a selfish society. Just like prepping. This is nothing new. It has been happening since the beginning of man. The founding fathers were united. They were team players. They served others instead of themselves. Even under risk of death to themselves and their loved ones. They cam together for a common purpose. To fight that which threatened their freedom. But now this nation is backward. Selfish. Two choices. Two outcomes. Unite for our freedoms, or stay divided and be enslaved.
Damn S.H. couldn’t have said it better. But there is a fix. Every American when 18-20 spend at least two years in service of this country. What about the person that is anti gun anti violence? Let them learn medical skills and serve in a hospital. Don’t have the stomach for blood or violence? Put them on a farm to grow food. Three choices. Military, hospitals, or farming. Three most basic skills needed to survive. Oh and what about the person that doesn’t want to serve? Doesn’t want basic skills? Doesn’t want to be part of our Nation? Boot them the hell out.
I agree. Except for the people who won’t serve. Don’t kick them out (deportation costs money). Just make sure they know “No service, no vote.” If they don’t serve, they can’t vote, and will be subjects instead of citizens. They’ll still pay taxes, though.
For a concise and objective opinion of the exact meaning of the Second Amendment by one of the foremost lexicographers (a person who compiles dictionaries.) of the English Language, read “The Unabridged Second Amendment” by J. Neil Schulman.
http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/unabridged.2nd.html
a well regulated militia (consisting of the same “we the people” as else where identified & stated in all 3 documents upon which this republic was founded, i.e. the Declaration of Independence (note: it’s not the declaration of dependence upon government but rather Independence from tyrannical government) which came 1st & thus supersedes anything that came after it & in fact was the precursor for all that did come after it,( for without it nothing else would have happened or resulted & there would be no United States of America, constitution or bill of rights), the Constitution & the Bill of Rights) is the core essential aspect & necessity in order for both the security & as well as the continuous existence of a free state, thus the 2nd amendment “a well regulated (regulate: 1 to control an activity or process, usually by having rules. (in the case of a militia it always means rules, drill & master of & at arms; basic tactics such as fire teams, A&B team etc. the elements necessary for a unit to function effectively & cohesively as an effective unit, otherwise you end up with a uncontrollable rabble) Militia, being NECESSARY to the SECCURITY of a FREE State ( this is not only a right, it is a sacred duty of citizenship & of every able bodied male citizen at least), the right (& let us all remember these rights did not & do not come from or by men or governments, they (these rights) come from & are endowed to us by our creator. the founding fathers were not endeavoring to establish a religion, they were simply stating a fact & establishing where rights come from & thus the origin of rights), the of THE PEOPLE to keep (to have) & bear (to carry on their person) shall not be INFRINGED”. & LET US ALSO REMEMBER THAT THOSE ARMS WERE NOT TO VERY FROM THE AMRS OF A STANDING ARMY, because in all probability those arms would have to be used against a standing army of one form or another because the biggest & greatest threat to life, liberty & means i.e. property has always been & will always be government. so we need to be training together so that if the need arises we can effectively fight together for the common defense of us all against any enemy be it foreign or domestic. also by training together we will come to know each other better & learn who can be relied upon & who cannot, plus we will be able to more readily identify each other because we have through training become accustomed to one another. I agree that we would all be better off if we did this & we could cut all this spending that the government is doing for “security” i.e. police (fed, state & local), not only that but these departments. are becoming increasingly alienated from the public they are supposed to “protect & defend” & in fact they are being indoctrinated that we are in fact the enemy & their biggest threat, so those who are supposed to protect us are in fact being trained to attack us & to be used against us by the government using taxpayer money to pay for it to carry out the circumvention of our rights. WAKE UP AMERICA! I am a modern day paul revier spreading the newa far & near, the red coats aren’t coming, they’re already here, so if you want to save what’s near & what’s dear you had better get off your rear!
Well Said.
‘A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a Free State, the rights of the People to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed’;
Word meanings and definitions often change, over time, for instance ‘A cute , gay man.’ was once ‘A bowlegged, cheerful man.’
Using the nomenclature of the times, ‘well regulated’ meant ‘well trained’ and ‘Militia’ was all of the people, capable of carrying arms. (‘Who is the Militia, Sir? It is all of the people trained to arms, preferably from an early age.’ ~ Richard Henry Lee 1778)
Bringing the concept into the 20th century was the Militia Act of 1903, aka ‘the Dick Act’, which created the ‘Unorganized Militia’, to be comprised of all males between the ages of 18 and 45, as well as veterans up to age 60.
When endeavoring to understand our Constitution, it is imperative that we utilize the same word meanings and definitions used by the men who wrote it, as well as their understandings of what they intended such things to mean.
While I agree with most of your article, your ‘interpretation’ of ‘well-regulated’ is not correct, nor is it accurate. Well-regulated does not mean well trained. The term, at the time used to write the 2nd amendment and long before that, primarily meant 1) a properly functioning item or group, 2) an item or group that is in working order and 3) an item or group that is functioning as expected. It is also to be understood that the framers considered the militia to be just about any and all able bodied persons able that possessed his/her own armament and which could, at a moments call, organize. The rest of your article is good, but lets stick to what the framers of the Constitution meant and not get into misunderstandings based on modern American English.
I just looked up ‘regulate’ in an 1815 edition of “A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Language” by John Walker, New York. It says: ‘Regulate…to adjust by rule’. I suspect ‘well-regulated’ is reasonably interpreted as ‘well-adjusted’ or ‘well-trained’.
In any case, the militia clause explains the primary purpose of ensuring the People are not prohibited from keeping and bearing arms, and makes clear that military grade arms and those that may substitute for them, or be used for training, are the most protected of all.
Along the lines of what you’re saying, I sometimes think of the old fashioned term applied to old double barreled rifles. A good quality double rifle was one that had both barrels “trained” to shoot the same point of aim. Sort of like when men line up abreast and fire a volley…
Here’s a direct quote from Federalist No. 29 which provides an unmistakably clear contextual definition of “well-regulated.”
“To oblige the great body of the yeomanry, and of the other classes of the citizens, to be under arms for the purpose of going through military exercises and evolutions, as often as might be necessary to acquire the degree of perfection which would entitle them to the character of a well-regulated militia, would be a real grievance to the people, and a serious public inconvenience and loss.”
Regardless of whether it means “well-trained” or “properly functioning item or group,” we can at least agree that it does NOT mean, “strangled to death with legislation written by whiny shitheads.”
First and foremost is that the public must educate themselves on who created the issues at hand. See “We Are Change” you tube interviews and testimony that confirms CIA created these issues.
Then for a better understanding of the second amendment you must read the articles of confederation, and the federalist papers and anti federalist papers to fully understand the intent of the Constitution and bill of rights. Once you understand the limitation of government, and the threat of foreign corrupted enemies within our government, then you may understand what their real agenda is. As such, education should make you understand how important the second amendment really is, and those who attempt to undermine it are the real threat to America.
John, too many people suffer from cogitative dissonance and find the truth too hard to fathom. It requires great effort on the individual’s part to know what is going. The masses find it is easier to accept the reality that the tyrannical corporate dictatorship governing America wants them to believe.
Sunaj,
Why would you throw nonsense like that into the world. Do you believe the same about 9/11. If you do then I’m sorry for replying, your words are not credible and should be ignored entirely.
I’ve attempted this with neighbors on occassion and resposes have been “you’re nuts, you’re paranoid…” so, my attitude at this point is to think screw the neighbors!
The government has let us ALL know in no uncertain terms neither they nor its political subdivisions like the police/sheriffs departments “do not have a duty to protect the individual” Warren v. District of Columbia, Supreme Court of the United States.
You’re right in that the POSiticians selectively use the Constitution to their advantage–something already worthy of a charge of treason against the U.S. as far as I’m concerned.
We as a country have totally forgotton the ‘well-trained militia’ part of the second amendment. Everyone needs to be hammering every level of government to bring firearms training/responsibility back into the educational system.
Will we?
Read the book “Target Switzerland” and then tell those you love to read it.
I agree 100% that it’s our duties to know our neighbors in this country, that’s the only way to return to a true sense of community that we’ve lost. For many reasons including having a plan for emergency situations, once I get to know my neighbors I figure out whether they’re also gun owners and once I do it’s almost instantaneous that we go to the range together or if not then I still warm them to the idea of me being a gun owner and how they could help me in an emergency through other means. All of my neighbors and friends in closest proximity have talked about logistics in an act of terror brought to our communities.
However regarding Paris, I unfortunately think old #2 wouldn’t be completely useful. If I’m sitting at a restaurant holstered and I’m victim of an AK drive-by, then there’s no changing that outcome. If I’m holstered and say we were allowed to carry into any kind of stadium, a piece of scum with a vest full of explosives is most likely going to detonate while my gun is still holstered. These are the methods these vermin predominantly use so I don’t see that it would be helpful. More of a fan of intelligence, leads (coming from knowing your neighbors?), and eradicating known radicals. Which means use of an army, sorry. Now the concert, that was disgusting and maybe to that point more widely carrying civilians (if properly trained over a long time) could’ve helped thwart them. However it was a vulnerable target (dark, approached from behind, no free escape, very loud to begin with). 4 attackers with auto rifles would’ve unloaded each of their clips before any willing citizen could’ve made a move. So it certainly wouldn’t have thwarted that, but could’ve saved the bloodshed after reloading.
I disagree that an armed citizen couldn’t have stopped parts of those attacks. These weren’t blitzkrieg attacks, the attackers took their time, probably because they know the people are unarmed. The restaurants weren’t drive-bys, they were walk-throughs, and the terrorists in the concert venue were walking around executing people and the police raid didn’t happen for something like 40 minutes.
I believe Paris was another false-flag event (not that it didn’t happen, but that it was staged)
designed to push the French and the West in general into these Middle Eastern wars of aggression on the part of the rogue group controlling our government,
also to push the gun confiscation effort in the West-get ready, the tsunami from Paris is heading this way
and the leaders in both parties have sold you out, treasonous traitors
Fuck yeah Blannelberry, FUCK YES!
Me and my girlfriend have a plan, all of my family and friends have a plan when we’re together, I can’t say much towards my neighbors but everyone I got out with socially carries and knows how to fight in a group. Most of my buddies and I have been watching each other’s backs since we were kids, nothing has changed except for what we watch for and what we are able to fight with. God bless brotha, keep up the GREAT articles.
Dude are you smoking the bad shit ?? I hope they dont allow you to own a gun, cuz your brain dead
Dude…is that Omama or Obama??? Looks to me you’re on the wrong site!