[Vision2020] Gun Talk

[Gary Crabtree]

You keep making apples to oranges comparisons.

In a effort to deter that which is undesirable (yelling fire in a crowded movie theater; libel; slander; child pornography) we punish the occurrences. We do not try to take away the means by banning magazines, (six words or greater) newspapers, internet, photography, or surgical removal of the tongue.

g




From: Joe Campbell 
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2013 12:41 PM
To: Paul Rumelhart 
Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Gun Talk


Paul wrote: How is my interpretation of the Second Amendment in any way "radical"?  "Radical?"  Really?  "...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."  How is a government ban on a complete class of guns (based almost solely on how military they look) not an infringement of my right to keep and bear arms?  Doesn't it stop me from buying an AR15, for example, not based on market forces or recalls based on safety or popularity, but because the government told me I can't own one?  Doesn't that infringe on my right to keep and bear arms, if only by restricting what I can keep and bear?  I don't see how this is "radical".


All rights may be infringed. Sorry. I don't want to try to figure out the founding fathers meant -- likely, the right to ban what we call "arms" cannot be infringed, which is reasonable -- but the idea that there are NO restrictions on (what we now think of as) gun sales is crazy. You can restrict speech so you sure as heck can restrict gun sales. Any view that says that we can do X under ANY circumstances provided X is listed in the Bill of Rights is a radical view.

Show me ONE other right that you think "shall not be infringed" in the way that you supposed gun rights shall not be infringed? Again, it is confusing. I would argue that circumstances in which your speech or expression may be restricted (yelling fire in a crowded movie theater; libel; slander; child pornography) is precisely the point at which your rights end. Again, I have a hard time saying the government is violating your right to free expression because it prohibits you from slandering Gary Crabtree. You NEVER had that "right." You have the right to speech freely ... up to a point. That is just how rights work. 

But of course I've already made this point!



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