Cable Forum - View Single Post - Florida Shooting: 17 Students Shot dead in another Mass Shooting in the U.S

Anonymouse · 15-02-2018, 10:56

As the late great Bill Hicks pointed out, the Second Amendment has been thoroughly misinterpreted.

To clarify, Article 2 of the Bill Of Rights states:

"A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed."

The militia in this context refers to the National Guard...and not to the general population. It does not say 'the people' have the right to bear arms. It doesn't say that at all. It means that the people in the militia have the right to bear arms, and implies the people have the right to form a militia in time of need (and to bear arms once they've done so) - it says nothing about anyone not in the militia.

But Americans apparently don't notice the all-important words before the comma, and thus assume a constitutional right which does not in fact exist.

Bill also pointed out that in America, where guns are readily available, there are many thousands of gun-related deaths every year; whereas in the UK, where guns are not so readily available, there are usually less than a hundred (well, it might be more than that now; Love All The People, from which I'm quoting, was published in 2004).

Correlation, anybody?

15-02-2018, 10:56	#11
Anonymouse RIP Tigger - 12 years?! Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bolton Age: 58 Services: EE Superfast Broadband Posts: 1,436	Re: Florida Shooting: 17 Students Shot dead in another Mass Shooting in the U.S As the late great Bill Hicks pointed out, the Second Amendment has been thoroughly misinterpreted. To clarify, Article 2 of the Bill Of Rights states: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed." The militia in this context refers to the National Guard...and not to the general population. It does not say 'the people' have the right to bear arms. It doesn't say that at all. It means that the people in the militia have the right to bear arms, and implies the people have the right to form a militia in time of need (and to bear arms once they've done so) - it says nothing about anyone not in the militia. But Americans apparently don't notice the all-important words before the comma, and thus assume a constitutional right which does not in fact exist. Bill also pointed out that in America, where guns are readily available, there are many thousands of gun-related deaths every year; whereas in the UK, where guns are not so readily available, there are usually less than a hundred (well, it might be more than that now; Love All The People, from which I'm quoting, was published in 2004). Correlation, anybody? __________________ "People tend to confuse the words 'new' and 'improved'." - Agent Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.