We have been looking the issues regarding gun control and assault weapons from the wrong angle. Gun enthusiasts are eager to quote the Second Amendment, and their assumption is that any and all “arms” are allowed. However that amendment was written in the late-18 century. The “arms” they were writing about were single-action weapons. The writers had no conception or expectation of the high-powered assault weapons of today.
We must continue to respect and allow the ownership of all single-action weapons for these were the specific “arms” the writers of the Second Amendment had in mind.
We do need to define what we mean when we say “arms.”
My contention is that any newer weapon is inherently illegal because they were unknown to the writers of the Second Amendment, and therefore were not sanctioned by them. We need a specific amendment to allow them.
We need to look at the issues as the writers did, with the amendment’s approval of only single-action weapons. Therefore we already have the ability to control and to regulate any weapon developed after the amendment was written. We need to examine the Second Amendment from a new perspective and act upon its literal and historical meaning.
We have been looking at the problem of assault weapons from the wrong angle. If we do want assault weapons available to our populace, then we need to have an amendment to allow them and regulate them
Antonia D. Clark
Edmonds
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