When the old lawmakers put together the constitution, I wonder if they ever thought guns would be massproduced in their hundreds of millions and be so cheap that anyone could afford one. Obviously not. But I do agree, it has nothing whatsoever to do with Trump. In the UK you used to be able to own and carry a gun, but when the crooks started getting better quality firearms than the police, the state panicked and banned the lot apart from firearms licensed for sporting use.
There’s so much stuff on American TV involving gun crime, right wing terrorist organizations, Arab terrorist organizations, Mexican druggies, Columbian druggies, American druggies, the Mafia, Latino gang’s, Cuban gangs, Mexican gangs, its permanent murder and mayhem. Must scare the life out of the average citizen, makes it easy to understand why you need a few dozen oozies, the odd grenade launcher, rocket launcher, machine gun and bomb proof basement. Looks to me its nearly as scary as living next door to Jessica Fletcher or somewhere called Midsummer with a neighbour called Barnaby.
It can and has been argued by greater Constitutional scholars than I, including a former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, that the Second Amendment was intended to restrain the federal government from preventing the states from raising militias. Again, not all subscribe to that theory. But if you do, then the first clause of the Second - A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State - can be construed to mean just what it says, that militias are necessary to the security of an American state…one of the thirteen states that comprised the federal union, not the union itself. The second half of the Second Amendment - the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. - if also read in the context of the 18th Century and considering the first clause, can then be construed to mean that weapons must be available for that militia. Understand, in the 18th Century, keeping and bearing arms did not necessarily equate with owning and carrying weapons. In fact, ‘bearing arms’ more generally meant being in military service. Colonials could keep and bear arms without owning arms individually but by having them issued to them when called to a militia. In other words, a revised understanding of the Second Amendment in modern language might reasonably read “Because the states need to be able to raise militias in order to maintain their freedom, they must be allowed to arm their citizens.” And thus, no individual right to own firearms exists outside of state service. Admittedly, it’s currently a minority opinion. But I keep plugging away.
Trevor, I seem to remember that the crackdown on gun ownership happened after the Hungergord massacre.
Siege of Stanley Street.
Hi Jane,
yes it was either after Hungerford or Dunblane? but shotguns went from being something you could keep at home to requiring storage in steel boxesbolted from within to masonry. Similar separatebox for cartridges. Not only did this need to be examined but it also became necessary to prove that you had access to private land on which to shoot.
This caused many shotguns to be sold, scrapped or certified as disarmed.
This is similar to Trevor’s comment about just making casual ownership of a gun just too much grief. Having said that, I suspect that it was only law-abiding citizens who went along with this and the villains just stashed their guns and claimed to have sold them in the pub to a geezer.
Your analysis is surely very correct, but in the interview it was said that thousands of psychiatrists seem to think Trump is making the situation worse.
There is no doubt a feedback loop involved. I think that the loop begins with the disaffected voter and the populist/fascist takes advantage. That the outcome of an electoral victory feeds the process is unquestioned. But that leads to an understanding that without addressing the underlying disaffection, removing Trump will only feed the fire, not quench it.
I think that your proposed revised understanding of the 2nd Amendment is a very good concept, and is one which really should be brought to prevail.
The old 18th Century concept no doubt came from the previous arrangements in feudal Britain, where the arms were kept in the local Manor House to be issued to the local people when the Lord of the Manor was called upon by the higher nobles to supply troops to the cause of the day. It’s rather unfortunate that the 2nd Amendment is so brief in content, as a few extra words would have clarified what was meant much more accurately.
I think that you are right to keep ‘plugging away’. Good luck with it.
Thank you so much for this post. As someone born and living in America, I am so frustrated and embarrassed by our outdated gun laws – among other things. I do not feel like I belong in this country and yet I am not sure where else would accept me. I have been searching for so long and so many countries make it so difficult for an expat to relocate, earn money and really become part of the society and culture. I plan to visit Montpellier for the month of June and hope it is somewhere that will be different. I am very spiritual and just want a happy, peaceful life somewhere without the nazi rallies in Charlottesville and Warsaw and other places. We are one people in one world. I am looking for a place where i can belong.
Unfortunately Garrett nationalism is alive and well in most countries including France so you may have to look further afield.
Thanks, Timothy. I am learning that. It makes me sad. Isn’t there any country left in the world that is compassionate and inclusive?
Probably not, my choice would be New Zealand which is always in the top ten of best places to live in the world.
Hello Garrett
Have you visited the Philippines ? We learned a lttle Tagalog but as there are so many Islands with their own dialect we found it wasn’t really useful .We were impressed by the place and people of Caminguan. We met with such kindness during our travels. Problem with the Philippines is that a ‘foreigner’ isn’t allowed to own property there. Stay away from Mindanao though, not an experience I would like to repeat !
We also visited Indonesia, Indonesian language is easy to learn, and once you are away from the tourist areas the people are wonderful, we were invited into their homes, to ceromonies and were made very welcome . We made many friends who we still have contact with.
We prepapred our own itinary in both places and used local transport, best way to meet the locals and make friends. So yes there are places and people that are compassionate. 
The siege of Sidney street was the turning point in the general publics right to carry a gun in the UK, up till then there were no real gun laws, every tom dick and harry could own and carry a firearm.
I’m afraid the biggest problem with the planet earth is its covered in humans, can’t get away from them, they are absolutely everywhere.
It’s such a perennial this, and has been going on for ever. To be perfectly frank, if the Americans want to kill each other, I think it’s their business, and I couldn’t care less. People literally die by their own decisions, and despite everything as far as I can judge the Americans essentially want to retain 'Constitutional l right to kill - whether it is people or animals (look at the vile creature Trump Jnr.and the other Americans who want to somehow show they are ‘macho’ ot Alpha Male). remember this is the Nation that teaches their kids to ‘hunt’ as in shooting squirrels - REALLY Macho?
There is a vast majority of armchair warriors in America - and to be fair elseswhere with assorted ‘populist’ aka Nationalist groups vomiting out theTrumpian credo of ‘We are the Best’. Brexit Britain, Poland, Hungary etc.
There is some self-destructive mechanism in the human race that every half-century or so releases a bloodlust. I don’t see that ever changing, but I do see America in the forefront of th whole thing. As the Brexiteers propound, ‘get over it and we won’ - whatever that means.
It seems we need to hate more than we need any gentler emotions.
We deserve all we get.
In a nut shell…the world is cruel, aggressive yet spineless.
America is at the top of the leader board.
but not a surprise.
.
Yesterday I watched the ‘Committee on Oversight and Reform’ hearing on gun violence in the US – the death of 19 children and two teachers - for an hour or so on TV, before it switched to other news.
This is the whole committee hearing which is 6 hours or so long. I haven’t watched all of it but the 1st hour says it all, in my opinion, especially the Chairwoman’s opening statement, the witness statement from the doctor attending dead children, and the witness statement from the mother of a dead daughter.
I also heard early this morning on C-span radio, Jim Jordan, republican ranking member of the Judiciary committee, shouting that the Democrats only want to use this committee hearing to deprive Americans from owning guns, which is clearly not true.
I wonder how many more committee hearings leading nowhere will be held…! What a mess!
Closer to home, it would be nice for the shootings of innocent people by so-called “chasseurs” in France each year could be stopped by better regulation
All deaths of innocent people are to be abhored.
I’ve been watching the deaths on our roads due to traffic incidents … quite horrifying figures.