We can posit the following TRUTHS:

  1. State militias were necessary because of the distrust of having a standing army.
  2. State militias were necessary because the resources and size of a national army were limited.
  3. State militias were necessary because the USA was a widely spread-out nation necessitating each state needing to design ways to defend itself. It was not reasonable to request a national government to come to a states’ rescue in case of an emergency.
  4. State militias were deemed necessary to control slaves and provide protection from Native Americans.
  5. Gun violence by individuals against individuals of the White race were very rare. Guns were used basically for hunting and protection from non-Whites.
  6. The lethality of guns during the time of our founding was minuscule compared to today.
  7. Guns became a problem due to the increased lethality and availability to the general public. The transition from single shot musketry to revolver to machine gun was a dramatic change amounting to dramatically increased lethality.
  8. The growth of gun manufacturing as a profit-making enterprise made guns more easily available to people.
  9. Increased lethality and easy availability of guns, coupled with the rising fear of guns and perceived need to protect oneself has multiplied. This has led to a focus on the second half of the 2nd Amendment: an individual’s right to bear arms.
  10. In addressing gun violence, it is necessary to understand the U.S. Constitution as a document designed to protect people from harm and NOT as a permission slip, a license to harm others.
  11. The Constitution endeavors to nurture national comity and community and not incite national gun chaos.
  12. The first and second parts of the 2nd Amendment are meant to be seen as a unity. The first “militia” section is meant to limit the second section. The “militia” is to be seen as a government sanctioned military “community” of “people” to guarantee safety and order. Think National Guard.
  13. The 2nd Amendment must be understood in the context and spirit of the entire Constitution to ensure justice, peace and order.
  14. The NRA, however, focuses on the second half of the 2A: my “right” to protect myself, to enjoy shooting, and to purchase any gun at any time for use as needed. Individualism supersedes or at least is an equal of an organized state militia.
  15. The NRA objects to most laws intending to limit the individual right to purchase a weapon, from handguns, to semi-automatic to automatic weapons. Furthermore, the NRA favors setting the age of 18 as the appropriate gun-purchasing age.
  16. It is the “individual right” position of the NRA that blunts the positive commitments to supporting police, safety training,and shooting competitions and hunter safety.