The Second Amendment –
The Strength Behind Our Constitution
By Donna Capurso, Patriot Journalist
The only thing that stands between “We the People” and an out of control, tyrannical government is our God given right, as written in the U.S. Constitution, specifically our Second Amendment. The only thing that makes it possible to truly protect ourselves, our families, our communities, our states and our nation is the people’s right to bear arms.
I believe that our most important Constitutional amendment is the Second Amendment as it gives “We the People” the ability to defend our liberty, freedoms and the principles that our founding fathers fought, bled and died for. It has nothing to do with hunting or sport shooting.
An interesting article: Ed Emery, Republican representative to the Missouri state legislature from Lamar, Missouri stated:
We know in a historical context that Japan was considering an invasion on the land mass of the United States of America, but they were afraid to, and the reason they were afraid to [is] because they knew that every American is armed. And although they were not afraid of our armies, they were afraid of our citizens.
And in case you didn’t see this article a few days ago:
Really??
The notion by the liberals that “gun free zones” will keep children safe is ludicrous. And who are the victims of gun violence that are the most vulnerable? The answer is the children in our schools. Children attending public school should be able to be in an atmosphere where they do not have be fearful of being shot or losing their lives.
Instead of addressing the problem, liberals try to place the blame on the people’s right to bear arms and they take every opportunity to use a tragedy such as Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland, Florida to push their agenda.
The following laws were passed by Congress to keep guns out of our schools:
The Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) is an act of the U.S. Congress prohibiting any unauthorized individual from knowingly possessing a loaded or unsecured firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(25). The law applies to public, private, and parochial elementary schools and high schools, and to non-private property within 1000 feet of them.
It was first introduced in the U.S. Senate in February 1990 as S. 2070 by Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and then was incorporated into the Crime Control Act of 1990 that was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.
The Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 (GFSA) was part of the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 (IASA). The Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 also amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
Congress introduced the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, which encouraged each state receiving federal funds for education to follow suit and introduce their own laws, now known as zero tolerance laws. President Bill Clinton signed the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 into law on March 31, 1994. The Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994 requires each state receiving federal funds to have a state law in effect requiring local educational agencies to expel, for at least one year, any student who is determined to have brought a weapon to school. The one-year expulsion is mandatory, except when a chief administering officer of such local education agency may modify it on a case-by-case basis. In addition, schools are directed to develop policies requiring referral to the criminal justice or juvenile delinquency system for any student who brings a firearm or weapon to school.
So let’s see how well that has worked out for the schools:
According to the following Wikipedia info: this list contains school shooting incidents that occurred on the campuses of K-12 public schools and private schools, as well as colleges, universities and school buses.
From 1800 to the end of 1899 (100 years) there were 36 school involved shootings resulting in 31 deaths. From 1900 through 1989 (90 years) there were 146 school involved shootings resulting in 191 deaths. From 1990 (when the 1990 and 1994 Gun-Free School Zones Acts (GFSZA) were enacted) through 1999 (10 years) there were 62 school involved shootings resulting in 88 deaths. From 2000 through 2009 (10 years) there were 63 school involved shootings resulting in 107 deaths. From 2010 through March 7th, 2018 (7 years, 3 months) there have been 148 school involved shootings resulting in 159 deaths.
These statistics indicate that since the Gun-Free School Zone Acts were enacted starting in 1990 that there have been 272 school involved shootings resulting in 354 deaths.
It is obvious that Gun-Free School Zones are not the answer. It is also obvious that the liberals will use any tragedy they can as a means to justify their ends in order to achieve their goals. Conservatives need to understand that there are answers that have nothing to do with their taking away our right to bear arms.
If it wasn’t so pathetic, it would be laughable that these gun-grabbers are blaming the NRA (National Rifle Association) for any and every shooting death possible when just the opposite is true. Why are the libs going after the NRA? Because the NRA is a gun rights organization (with nearly 5 million members) that fights for our Second Amendment.
They also provide excellent firearms educational programs, and not just for adults. I remember that 56 years ago my dad took me and my younger brother to an NRA class where we learned about gun safety and were taught how to shoot a rifle. My brother was 12 years old and I was 14 when we were first introduced to guns. My brother joined the US Air Force at the age of 18 and he was military police for 4 years then became a full time police officer, 4 years with Selma, CA police department then 20 years with Fresno PD before retiring.
I also wanted to go into law enforcement, however when I went to apply to become a deputy with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, I was told that I could not apply except as a jail matron; thanks, but no thanks. In 1982 I applied to the Fresno Police Department to be a reserve police officer and was selected after attending the reserve police academy and served my community as a reserve police sergeant for 10 years and became a full time police and fire dispatcher during and after my time as a reserve.
Even though I served as an unpaid volunteer, I still had to qualify with my duty weapon, which I did consistently. I don’t believe that either my brother or I would have gone into any type of police work if we had not attended the NRA’s gun safety course and learned how to shoot a gun correctly. When the hyperbole is taken away from the leftists and a person learns when to shoot, how to shoot and to do so safely and when necessary, the mystery is taken away.
If citizens allow their states or the federal government to confiscate their guns, then the only people left with guns will be the criminals and that is pure insanity. Because our children are the most vulnerable, teachers should be taught gun safety and how to use those guns and be ready to protect the children that parents have entrusted to those teachers.
According to the IES (Institute of Education Sciences) – National Center for Educational Statistics there are 132,656 schools in the US (2008 numbers) which accounts for 62.8 million people (students, faculty and staff). So, statistically, if you are a teacher or school staff, your odds of not being at a school when a school shooting occurs are pretty good. But keep this in mind: a gun is very much like a parachute or a life vest – the first time you need one and don’t have one, you may never need one again…ever.
Serving as a police reserve officer, even though I was unpaid, I knew that when I pinned on my badge and strapped on my gun belt, that every time I was on duty I was putting myself in harm’s way and that at any moment my life could be on the line. With that being said, I do not understand how four Broward County Deputies could remain behind their vehicles and do absolutely nothing to stop the carnage going on inside the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Even if they were told to stand down and to not enter the school, that is one order that should have been ignored even if the order came from their Sheriff Scott Israel.
And there is the “inconvenient fact” that off duty Coral Springs Police Sergeant Jeff Heinrich, who was on the school grounds at the time of the shooting, entered the school to protect the students from the shooter. It has also come to light that on-duty Miramar Police Detectives Jeffrey Gilbert and Carl Schlosser (also Department SWAT members), when hearing about the active shooter incident going on at the high school headed to the school to lend their assistance. But instead of these brave men being thanked by their department for their bravery, the two detectives were suspended for responding without permission. In my opinion, absolutely unbelievable!
Now is the time for “We the People.” If you feel like I do, you have had enough of the intrusion, the control, the abuse and the political rhetoric of the federal government. If you understand that words like liberty, freedom, patriotism, justice, and the rule of law used to be part of our culture and way of life to be proud of and be ready to fight for and that it’s time to bring those values and principles back into our lives with a vengeance, then consider yourself a patriot and be proud of that branding.
If you understand how important the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the concept of self-governance are, then now is the time to be fearless in defending our God given rights. If you believe in the phrases “one nation under God,” “in God we Trust,” and are proud to say the pledge of allegiance to our flag, then let these words penetrate your very heart and soul.
If you sing “God Bless America” or our national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” with your hand over your heart and tears in your eyes then now is the time to put those hands to work and make those tears count. We need to feel empowered to take back what has been stolen right out from under us and to make a choice…to stand back or stand up.
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Interesting and thoughtful article. However, it is imortant I think to strive always for historical accuracy. I am unable to find any evidence that Jefferson wrote or spoke the quote: “The beauty …” shown next to the painting of Jefferson.
Donna : Thank you for your articulate article. Anyone not afflicted with terminal normalcy bias would have to agree – our final “Check and Balance” is the guns in our hands. I’m sure that every American Ayatollah, people like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Diane Feinstein, are fully aware of every point you have made, and would privately agree. And yet, they persist in an ever more restrictive set of gun laws. Do you suppose that the arguments and facts supporting an armed citizenry could be irrelevant to their true goals? They are operating for an entirely different agenda, namely, a disarmed and defenseless civilian population. I’d suggest a JPFO documentary to our readers, their “Innocents Betrayed”.
Thanks for the suggestion to watch the documentary “Innocents Betrayed.” Trailer was excellent, going to order the DVD.
Of course I agree with what you wrote, that “our final ‘Check and Balance’ is the guns in our hands.” I would add to that… it is also necessary that we revitalize the militia of the several States by way of State legislative statue.
Indeed, good suggestion, I found “Innocents Betrayed” on YouTube.
Innocents Betrayed – The True Story of Gun Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nopsh4cxMvQ
When are you going to run for office again?
The Second Amendment is NOT only about guns – it is about ALL arms the People find necessary to bring to bear, to correct FERAL government(s) and any other threat to the individual, the community, the State, or the Union. It is not a request for permission to bear arms, it is a statement of CLEAR intent of the People to exercise our RIGHT to dissolve any government which has become a danger to the People and our rights.
see: Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary: definition of “arms”
Any government which “outlaws” the right of the People to defend ourselves, or to dissolve the government, is a danger to the People.
Ms. Capurso,
Why no mention of first clause of the Second Amendment?
“A well regulated militia, being necessary for the security of a free State…”
As good as your article was, you failed to even mention the first clause even once, and your entire article was focused solely on the second clause of the Second Amendment. Are you not aware that over 115 years ago the first clause of the Second Amendment was destroyed at the turn of the 20th century by an ‘agreement’ between Congress and the States by way of the Militia Act of 1903 and the National Defense Act of 1916? Subsequently, the first clause was replaced primarily with the National Guard and to a much lesser extent the unorganized and organized militias.
The National Guard is NOT a militia because it does not have the characteristics of a constitutional militia…first and foremost a near-universal, compulsory membership organization. The National Guard is an adjunct of the standing Army.
For example, under the Idaho Constitution, Idaho Statutes Title 46 , Section 46-103 the unorganized militia, which is comprised of all of the able-bodied males between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, become the organized militia only when called into service by the governor. The unorganized militia shall include all the militia of the state of Idaho not included in the National Guard or the organized militia.
My point is that by only focusing your article on the second clause of the Second Amendment you are missing a golden opportunity to educate Americans about what happened to the first clause and help further a grassroots movement within Idaho – with the stated goal of having our Idaho legislators statutorily revitalize the first clause of the Second Amendment within our State?