Notable Quote - Tench Coxe (Founding Father) - Granite Grok

Notable Quote – Tench Coxe (Founding Father)

Speaking to the Second Amendment:

Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American . . . . The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people.”

– Tench Coxe,  The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788

(H/T: Bearing Arms, more after the jump)

Second Amendment:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

As Constitution.org reminds us:

The phrase “well-regulated” was in common use long before 1789, and remained so for a century thereafter. It referred to the property of something being in proper working order. Something that was well-regulated was calibrated correctly, functioning as expected.

And this is why originalism is important when viewing the Constitution; “well regulated” today means that many laws and regulations have been set in stone to control behaviors of individuals and companies and not its usage at the time of writing.   Try this for a (weak) attempt to modernize it:

As there may be a time where our Country may be imperiled, a functional militia will useless if Government regulates and restricts the People to own and practice with functional and lethal arms beforehand (as irregular militias depend upon those assembling to bring their own) .

OK folks, do a better job, as remember this: look around the world and learn a lesson in that never think that it can’t ever happen here in the US as there are always those that wish to have more than what they already have.

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