No offense Joe, but I gotta disagree with a couple of points.
Originally Posted by
Joe Steel
"People" is not the plural of person. "People" is a term of art meaning the citizenry consider collectively. The People have a right to arms but no person or persons have a right to arms. No sir, "people" was (and still is) both the plural of person and a collective reference to a specific group of persons. IE, the people of England, of Virginia, of Dallas, etc etc.
In the plain English of the late 18th century "keep" meant manage and "arms" was a metaphor for armed force. To "keep arms" meant manage an armed force. In common English of the period, Arms actually meant "weapons" in the collective. Considering that firearms were fairly rare on a per capita basis, the term "arms" also includes swords, daggers, clubs, pistols, rifles, pikes, axes, etc. The question we need to ask is when did "arms" begin to mean only firearms. The second amendment also means that outlawing crossbows or knives with six inch blades is in fact unconstitutional.
"Bear arms" meant "serve in an armed force." To Bear actually means "to carry". There is a chance that your definition was in common usage as slang. However, the plain language of the US Constitution demonstrates that there was no intent to use popular or slang versions of the language.
The Second Amendment, then, is a declaration by the People of their right to ensure the army comprised only common citizens and was controlled by the citizens collective. Actually the second amendment is directive on the states to maintain a militia, and to ensure that said militia is able to be formed by the armed citizenry. Historically my interpretation is accurate since the majority of states required service in the militia. Additionally the language syntax follows in a directive and supportive fashion.
Hi, I'm Phil. Tag; You're it.
I'm Phil -- 40 something heterosexual white male, fairly self sufficient, great with my kids, wed 29 years to the same woman, and I firmly believe that ones actions have logical consequences. How much more out the box can you get nowadays? -- MSgt of Marines (ret)