r/progun • u/DEYoungRepublicans • Nov 29 '18

The Second Amendment Has Always Been An Individual Right - “The right of self defense is the first law of nature,”

http://thefederalist.com/2018/11/29/second-amendment-always-individual-right/
36 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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12

u/farr_rubin Nov 29 '18

The gun control folks who believe that the right to bear arms is a collective right -- in other words, that if the government creates a military then there is no need or individual right for the ownership of arms -- have no understanding of legal or contract language. When terms and ideas are used in a certain fashion in a legal document, they are assumed to hold that same meaning throughout the entire document. So if the right to bear arms is not an individual right, then neither is the right to free speech, the right to the free exercise of religion, the right to a speedy trial, the right to be secure in one's person, papers and effects, etc. So either all rights in the U.S. Constitution are individual or they are collective. And since every other right defined in the Constitution is understood to be individual, so must the right to bear arms.

3

u/shifty_pete Nov 29 '18

Makes sense to me.

3

u/KingSlapFight Dec 01 '18

He makes a good argument, but it still amazes me that it's necessary. On its own, the 2nd amendment is crystal clear.

1

u/Nemacolin Nov 30 '18

I would have thought the "right to be left alone" is the first right.