The Second Amendment: 2023 Version.

~ beetleypete

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear rocket launchers, shall not be infringed.”

They must have obviously foreseen rocket launchers in 1791. What other possible explantion could there be?
(I hope he was satisfied with his sandwich, or there could be trouble. Still want to visit America as a tourist? I don’t)

79 thoughts on “The Second Amendment: 2023 Version.”

      1. I am no expert on such matters but if I were to express an opinion, I would suggest, with all caution and no prejudice at all, that there might be some form of psychosis at play in those instances.

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  4. What some people do not understand or believe is that the law-abiding citizen with his gun safely locked away in a safe somewhere is going to be splattered all over his living room wall by home invaders with guns before he ever has a chance to get to that locker, unlock it, take the safety off his self defense gun, point it and fire it at the intruders. If law abiding citizens with guns are going to be effective in using those guns, then they can never afford to be separated from their guns and they should be well trained in the art of instant decision making and they need to be ready to accept the emotional turmoil involved with killing someone … which is something that most normal americans cannot cope with. The idea of the good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun is a fiction exclusively belonging to right wing gun nuts who would rather protect their guns than their children.

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    3. “The idea of the good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun is a fiction exclusively belonging to right wing gun nuts who would rather protect their guns than their children.” More inflammatory, poorly researched word spew. These are 12 in a two month span that made the news. It’s a daily occurence in parts of the D/FW metroplex where videos of C store owners flying out the door unloading on running thugs are as common as the ever popular apartment fire. Sorry if you’re offended by data as a response. https://www.foxnews.com/us/at-least-12-armed-citizens-thwarted-crimes-just-last-60-days

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      1. I cannot possibly be offended by anything that comes out of Fox News — because in my personal opinion, (and I am entitled to my opinion .. read the first amendment …) Fox News is not a dependable resource — of course they might be a dependable resource, I don’t know — I have never met any of them and do not know who they are actually, I have never met any of them and have never been in their studios —with the exception of what I have heard and read …but I do understand — but I still don’t know for sure — that they are the resource of choice for some people who I personally consider to be really nasty folks — my opinion again …folks who reside on the extreme right wing of American Politics … but they have their first amendment rights too … so I really cannot say anything against them … regardless of how I might feel –because if you say something they do not like, they are more likely than not to call you really nasty names…

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  5. Pingback: The Second Amendment: 2023 Version. | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  6. It’s the nut cases that make headlines. That guy right there isn’t out to kill someone over a pair of shoes, or open fire in a school. In fact he’s probably making that the safest lunch counter anywhere. Some teenage illegal isn’t going to poke his father’s 9 mil in the door of that place and unload on his classmates. I’d a lot rather see open carry than a crew on a rail platform pull handguns out of their baggies to kill a 12 year old for her phone. Think they’d have bothered with this guy waiting for the same train? Had he been in the house when an illegal got drunk and went next door and killed five of his neighbors the neighbors would still be here. In fact, I would say rocket launcher man is indicative of the response many have to realizing the civility of our society is a very thin crust floating on top of criminal anarchy. Ring on the bazookas, they’ll sure a hell stop the car jackings.

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    1. Your view on this is very interesting, Phil, but it couldn’t be more different to mine of course.. I have seen little evidence of ‘good guy’ shootings saving people, and do not necessarily agree that someone like him would have saved the family in Texas. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am not an American.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Part of that could be that grandma with a .38 in her purse stopping another purse snatch, or home invasion, or a kid with a shotgun stopping a home invasion and hundreds of other citizen interventions don’t make the news. My niece’s 19 year old son was killed last weekend over a pair of tennis shoes. Vigilante-ism is an ugly consideration, and isn’t something you adopt until it moves in next door.

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    2. That guy, standing there with a rocket launcher, casually focusing his attention on the sandwich is probably going to be the first victim of a shooter intent on creating havoc — because that shooter will probably have scoped out all the potential targets on the scene and could not have construed that rocket launcher as anything other than a threat to himself or herself … and thus the rocket launcher guy would become a prime candidate for first victim status.

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  7. I live in a very liberal state CT. We had a terrible shooting here but now we have adopted sensible gun laws. You can only buy a handgun in Connecticut, if in addition to being a resident, you have a valid Permit to carry Pistols or Revolvers, a valid Eligibility Certificate, if you are a licensed Firearms Dealer or if you are a Sworn Police Officer. A DPS-67-C and a DPS-3-C (4 copies) must be completed. Still no problem bringing and AK15 over state lines. This is a really interesting article about differences in cultures by region in the US, which does explain some of the differences in gun ownership and violence.

    https://apple.news/AQmWoub-zRqqZSyNbldiUpQ

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    1. Thanks for your comment and the link, Felicity. Obviously, some states have better gun laws than others. But as you say, if a shooter can buy an assault rifle (or rocket launcher) in a different state, it still makes it dangerous for you if they decide to cross state lines.
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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  9. It’s horrible the mass shootings. Politicians will do nothing about it because the gun lobbyists donate a lot of cash to their campaigns. They’re paying the piper. I live in FL, it’s a stand your ground, right to carry etc etc.. I just stay polite and try my best not to offend anyone. You never know who’s packing heat. It’s still a beautiful country though.

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  10. Well.. the people who made the Second the Second in the beginning were pissed off at the Brits. Our Supreme Court who defined the Second as meaning what it means today reflects our being pissed off at each other. Great progress.

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  14. I go to the US only when family duties require it. One of my brothers-in-law was shot in the leg while he was driving on the freeway. There was a sniper shooting randomly from a high perch. Luckily my brother-in-law was fine and the sniper was caught.

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  16. We are have a lot of nut jobs running around lately doing horrible things, but I don’t think the media is doing anything to deter it. All they do is give the maniacs their 15 minutes of fame.

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  17. I had two invitations to go there this year….and my response was a firm NO Thank you. Last September I spent time with the Amish in Pennsylvania….who were wonderful – but for the rest of it….NO thank you.

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    1. I have never been to the USA, and I always wanted to go because of my interest in their Civil War. But I didn’t go back then because of Vietnam, and I am definitely not going to go now, Janet.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  18. Excuse me, america is the land of the free! ROFL
    and we have a deranged predator who is going to make that country even greater – again.
    You’re not even safe from the cops there either.

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        1. Republicans are egomaniacal idiots and the American People are suffering because of people just like them … and if Trump gets his way, The American People will suffer even more … He just told his zombies in congress to go ahead and let the nation default on its debts. In my book, that more or less seals the deal and we are in for a ride to hell — and maybe back again …maybe …

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          1. Not a Trump fan, but no one has yet to show me how the drooling puppet we have now’s road to hell looks much different. Somewhere there’s a sensible middle ground but I’m afraid we’ve lost that ability. I suffer a hell of a lot more from the cost of living up 30% over two years than a moderately sane neighbor who collects firearms.

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              1. Hunger or hate, anarchy either way. The real point, though, is this has nothing to do with the original comment in any way, shape or form and is Pete’s good natured differences are OK blog really the platform for extraneous opinion oriented inflammatory political extremism bullshit? That has no bearing on existing commentary? No. Not my place to tell you to put a cork in it and stay with the program, but damn, man, have some consideration for our host.

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                1. Our Host (as you put it) is one of the finest people I know and I consider him to be a good friend for putting up with my “Extremist Bullshit” which, by the way, is my own common sense way of trying to warn the nation of the dangers inherent in contemporary nazi-oriented presence in our government — a presence that is hell bent on taking us over …just like Germany in the 1940s –and I have every consideration for and respect for “our Host” and because the very existence of Democracy is in the balance here, I am not going to “Put a cork in it” so change the channel if you wish …It is up to Pete to delete me if he wishes … and I would never hold it against him if he chose to do so …and as for you, if you are a supporter of the right wing, I feel sorry for what you are about to experience in your life if you have anything to do with them taking our government over …

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                  1. First, I never said anything about the right wing. Did I? No. I said Custer was an idiot. Which is historical fact. Next, I never invited nor opened the door to be verbally assaulted or the object of your political rant.

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                    2. I’m sure there are those who appreciate being targeted with extraneous, off topic verbal projectile vomit. I’m just not one of them. You need to stop playing litter box psychologist with me and find a friend or address the issue without the sophomoric uncleverness. I did not invite nor do I need your bullshit. If I want it, I’ll look you up under rude, ill mannered politically oriented Tourette’s syndrome assholes with a blog. Is that clear enough? Jump uninvited and off topic on one of my comments again and it goes to WordPress. They call it stalking. A word to the wise – cheap bait requires you to find a fish dumb enough to hit it.

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  21. No, it isn’t just in Texas. A young woman was shot and killed recently went she was a passenger in a car. They were going to visit friends and missed their turn in the dark (it’s very dark ere at night) They pulled into a driveway, realised it was wrong and turned to leave. The occupant of the house came to the door and shot at them, killing the girl who was 20. It is a disgrace.

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    1. I know it is not just in Texas, Carolyn. It is a national malaise. Do you still have British nationality? If so, get out of that crumbling country. It is not that great here, but definitely 100% better than waiting for some crazy to shoot you in America. The US is lost, it is done. Anyone who stays there accepts the risk of being killed at random by a madman.
      Best wishes, Pete,

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  24. According to my college history professor, the right to bear arms was for a well regulated militia, i.e., the Natural Guard. The second amendment was not intended to give individual citizens the right to amass any weapons they wanted for any purpose they wanted. It is getting more dangerous to be in the US by the day. I won’t say anymore, or I’ll go into a downward spiral I can’t get out of.

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    1. I am aware of the original intention of the amendment, Liz. Now it not only includes assault rifles, but it would appear that the open carry of a Laws Rocket is also acceptable. I could not live in your country, I would definitely emigrate.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  25. It makes me shudder too but our son has visited America and loves it. I think it does very much depend where you go and who you meet – they’re not all obese, gun-toting Texans

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    1. I agree they are not of course. But mass killings still happen every day all over that country, and it is getting worse every year. I don’t think you only have to worry about Texas.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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