District of Columbia v. Heller; Or, Why Commas Matter

[egeria61]

Historic moment, here, people!  I wonder what the rest of the world thinks of our individual right to bear arms. I got vertigo today, over the oddness/particularities of American culture. Usually I just take it for granted that our culture is pretty much "normal" (whatever that's supposed to mean). But my grandpa has a whole room in his basement

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[egeria61]

LOL! Ooh, damn, that was long. *hugs you* Ok, first off, I'm really grateful that you DID take the time to write a dissertation on this, because I was wondering about that "version 1" of the amendment. When I looked at it after writing this entry, I was like: it's not just SHAKY, it doesn't even make SENSE. So, good to have confirmation on that, and good to know that there aren't two competing versions with different meanings floating around out there. I agree that our founding fathers could very likely have valued their guns first, and the reasons for having them second (thus making the reasons for owning them subordinate). As chaila put it, it's that libertarian streak in them, which we Americans have inherited (for better or worse). This ruling leaves me with conflicted feelings. Usually I'm all for civil rights: for instance, I hate the "Patriot Act" (just another instance of putting that "goldmine of patriotism" to use). And I'm an individualist (how can one NOT be, in this culture?). (Seriously, I don't like double dipping and have been known to yell at my own brother, "Get your own bowl!") :D But when it comes to guns, I think they need to be strictly regulated, even if it limits individual freedom to handle said guns. My final thought, however, doesn't reconcile me to my own opinion. Because this country is armed to the teeth, and the kind of regulations we'd need in order to actually control the use of guns would never happen. When you live in a gun-laden society, at what point does it become ill-advised to take away guns that really are a form of defense? But then, using guns to "defend" yourself can so often turn out badly, and I wonder if people are just safer not having them if they don't truly know how to use them, and if they don't get practice using them on a regular basis. In other words, it's a good thing I'm not making the laws. Individuals have the right to bear arms, if and only if . . . . [followed by an addendum the length of my arm] Yeah. That would go over SO well. *grins*