 Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Issue 78 January 2008 |
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Welcome to this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter. This is the monthly communication from my Web site at www.SaveTheGuns.com. Thank you for reading this month's issue and for passing it on to a friend. First, let me begin by wishing you and your families a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2008. This new year will be one of the most pivotal years in the history of the United States and the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment in the United States Constitution says: "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." Thomas Jefferson said that in most cases, the people are protected from their own State governments. But what do the State Constitutions have to say about the right to keep and bear arms? Do you know what you're own State Constitution has to say about your gun rights? "I hope, therefore, a
bill of rights will be formed to guard the people against the Federal
government as they are already guarded against their State governments,
in most instances." Read on... SaveTheGuns.com Quotes of the Month "The constitutions of
most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people;
that... it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."
"The said
Constitution [shall] be never construed to authorize Congress to
infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or
to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens,
from keeping their own arms."
"A well regulated
militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the
best and most natural defense of a free country."
"Arms in the hands of
individual citizens [may] be used at individual discretion...in private
self-defense..."
"The best we can hope
for concerning the people at large, is that they be properly
armed."
"We can't be so
fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans
..." SaveTheGuns.com Gun Safety Tip of the Month
NEVER shoot into water and avoid ricochets. Bullets can skip off the surface of water and then change direction too!!!! Don't shoot into the water. Don't shoot at heavy metal objects such as junked cars, old propane tanks and abandoned refrigerators. Ricochets have been deadly in this type of situation. The above YouTube video is exactly why I say not to shoot at hard metal objects unless they are specifically designed to be for target shooting. Please contribute this month if you have not done so before.
NRA Membership Recruiter Corner http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807 This link will take you directly to the checkout page at the National Rifle Association to make it easy for you to renew your current membership, give an NRA membership to a friend or family member or join the fight for the first time. SaveTheGuns.com is one of thousands of NRA Membership Recruiters across America. As an NRA Recruiter, I'm officially a subcontractor for the National Rifle Association of America and not an employee. I make a small commission whenever you join, renew or give an NRA Membership as a gift. Please use the link above for all your NRA Membership needs. If your NRA Membership expires within four months, I encourage you to renew your membership early using my convenient link that lands right on the appropriate page at the National Rifle Association. I have written a Web page with more information on membership in the National Rifle Association. It has a list of benefits as well as membership options and prices. For your convenience the above NRA Membership link is there as well. http://www.savetheguns.com/nra_membership.htm P.S. Remember, my link goes directly to the NRA Membership check out page. Using my special link is a lot more convenient than trying to find the page yourself. As of this issue of the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter, I've recruited 164 NRA Members through this link. I want to be one of the top ten NRA Recruiters for the nine (9) state northeast district of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Please use my convenient links for all your NRA membership needs and pass it around to others. Contributions to SaveTheGuns.com Please use the following convenient link to securely use a credit card online to give SaveTheGuns.com a voluntary contribution: http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P3GXU3PIEM5ST1
To write me a personal check, it's almost as easy! Write out a personal check made payable to Marc H. Richardson. Sign it and put it into a stamped envelope addressed to: Marc H. Richardson My contributors have kept this informative Web site going for more than seven years. Become a contributor today... please? Active contributors are the only thing keeping www.SaveTheGuns.com online. Thank you very much for your support! $60.00 in contributions were received since the December 2007 issue of the Minuteman Monthly. Item of the Month There are a few things that you can do to affect change in society. These things include getting on your soapbox and speaking out. How would our elected officials ever know that we're not happy with them if we don't ever speak up? If you are an active supporter of the right to keep and bear arms and you wish to do more to support the Second Amendment, than just writing letters and voting on Election Day, why not go get your own Web site, like I did? It's not that complicated and difficult. I did it and you can too! Why not get yourself a Web site and have it hosted with HostMonster.com? Start out the year 2008 with a fresh new effort on your part? Get your own Web site and make a difference on your own! You can host many different Web sites with one account and it's much cheaper than you think! Host Unlimited Domains On 1 Hosting Account
Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Aiming Point Before I write about the subject of how the States address the right to keep and bear arms in their own Constitutions, I would like to speak a bit on the New Life Church shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 10th. As I'm sure you know, a church member with a concealed handgun permit was able to shoot a mass murderer and take him down before his rampage was able to really get going. Most large churches ask for members of the church to volunteer for some kind of security duty for the church, while acting as ushers. I was in a church of more than 700 members in a bad part of a large city and there were a handful of members who would walk up and down the sidewalk and among the parking lot to make sure that none of the church-goers cars were broken into and to keep any local miscreants from causing trouble. Having interested church members volunteer for doing usher duty outside and providing a level of security for the parking lot is very common in most larger churches. A keen observer would have to take notice of how the media tried to spin this story and show it to the public in a completely different light. The efforts of the mass media to portray the brave actions of the female church member, as anything other than what it was, is very frustrating to me and most other pro-gun supporters. A mass murderer with multiple firearms and hundreds and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tried to ply his murderous intentions in a zone that was not "gun-free". In nearly every other attempted mass murder, the perpetrator has killed men, women and children on an ugly murderous rampage, within what has been laughably labeled a "gun-free" zone. Just five (5) days earlier on December 5th, there was another mass shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. A 19 year old punk killed nine (9) and wounded four (4), before killing himself and of course, it was perpetrated in a "gun-free" zone, where the owners of the Westroads Mall had a "no guns here" policy and put up signage prohibiting concealed carry. Now that a concealed carry permit holder has finally put a quick stop to a mass shooting by a mentally deranged shooter, the mass media has fallen all over itself to portray the brave woman, Jeanne Assam 42, as a "hired professional security guard" or as a "former law enforcement officer". Then after the autopsy was performed on the deceased shooter, all the media would say about the incident was that the shooter died of a "self inflicted gunshot wound" and that the armed church member with a concealed carry permit had nothing to do with stopping the mentally disturbed gunman. Of course we should have known that the mass media would have gone out of its way to portray this shooting as something other than what it was. Regardless of Jeanne Assam's background and her former employment as a police officer, the fact was that a law-abiding concealed carry permit holder was finally able to take out a mass murderer the very first time a mass shooting occurred outside a "gun-free" zone. It's far past time to end the practice of creating "gun-free" zones, because those mentally deranged idiots who intend to kill as many people as they possibly can before killing themselves are intentionally seeking out "gun-free" zones for their own safety, go figure... There has been much disagreement over the years between activists on both sides of the issue on what exactly the Founding Fathers meant the Second Amendment to mean. Of course the intention of the Founding Fathers is clear if you look at what they actually said and what they wrote about the right to keep and bears arms in newspapers and in their letters. But apart from their speeches, editorializing and their letters to one another, is there another way to try and decipher the right to keep and bear arms? I believe that if we look to the State Constitutions and what they have to say about it, we can benefit from a clearer view of what the Founding Fathers meant the Second Amendment to mean. Do you know what your own State Constitution has to say about the right to keep and bear private arms? Please take a look at this compilation of texts found in our State Constitutions and then pass this message on to others.
That the great, general and essential principles of liberty and free government may be recognized and established, we declare.... That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. (Art. I, § 26) (1819) A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of
himself or the State shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section
shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to
organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men. (Art. II, § 26)
(1912)
The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear
arms for their common defense. (Art. II, § 5) (1868; previous versions
1864, 1861, 1836)
The right of no person to keep and bear arms in defense of his
home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto
legally summoned, shall be called in question; but nothing herein
contained shall be construed to justify the practice of carrying
concealed weapons. (Art. II, § 13) (1876)
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and
the state. (Art. I, § 15) (1818)
A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of
self, family, home and State, and for hunting and recreational use.
(Art. I, § 20) (1987)
The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of
themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be
infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by
law. (Art. I, § 8, [a]) (1990; previous versions 1968, 1885, 1868,
1838)
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed, but the General Assembly shall have the power to prescribe
the manner in which arms may be borne. (1982 Constitution, Art. I, § 1,
para. 8) (1982; previous versions 1877, 1868, 1865)
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a
The people have the right to keep and bear arms, which right shall
not be abridged; but this provision shall not prevent the passage of
laws to govern the carrying of weapons concealed on the person nor
prevent passage of legislation providing minimum sentences for crimes
committed while in possession of a firearm, nor prevent passage of
legislation providing penalties for the possession of firearms by a
convicted felon, nor prevent the passage of legislation punishing the
use of a firearm. No law shall impose licensure, registration or special
taxation on the ownership or possession of firearms or ammunition. Nor
shall any law permit the confiscation of firearms, except those actually
used in the commission of a felony. (Art. I, § 11) (1978; previous
version 1889)
Subject only to the police power, the right of the individual
citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. (Art. I, § 22)
(1970)
The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of
themselves and the State. (Art. I, § 32) (1851; previous version, 1816)
The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and
security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to
liberty, and shall not be tolerated, and the military shall be in strict
subordination to the civil power. (Bill of Rights, § 4) (1859)
All men are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inherent
and inalienable rights, among which may be reckoned: ... [t]he right to
bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state, subject to the
power of the general assembly to enact laws to prevent persons from
carrying concealed weapons. (Bill of Rights, § 1) (1891; previous
versions 1850, 1799)
The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be
abridged, but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to
prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person. (Art. I, §
11) (1974; previous version 1879)
Every person has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall
never be questioned. (Art. I, § 16)(1987; previous version 1819)
The people have a right to keep and bear arms for the common
defence. And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to liberty, they
ought not to be maintained without the consent of the legislature; and
the military power shall always be held in an exact subordination to the
civil authority, and be governed by it. (Part I, Art. XVII) (1780)
Every person has a right to keep or bear arms for the defense of
himself and the State. (Art. I, § 6) (1963; previous versions 1850,
1835)
The right of every citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his
home, person, or property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto
legally summoned, shall not be called in question, but the legislature
may regulate or forbid carrying concealed weapons. (Art. III, § 12)
(1890; previous versions 1868, 1817)
That the right of every citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of
his home, person, and property, or when lawfully summoned in aid of the
civil power, shall not be questioned; but this shall not justify the
wearing of concealed weapons. (Art. I, § 23) (1945; previous versions
1875, 1865, 1820)
The right of any person to keep or bear arms in defense of his own
home, person, and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto
legally summoned, shall not be called in question; but nothing herein
contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons.
(Art. II, § 12) Militia forces shall consist of all able-bodied citizens of the
state except those excepted by law. (Art. VI, § 14) (1889)
All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain
inherent and inalienable rights; among these are life, liberty, the
pursuit of happiness, and the right to keep and bear arms for security
or defense of self, family, home and others, and for lawful common
defense, hunting, recreational use and all other lawful purposes, and
such rights shall not be denied or infringed by the state or any
subdivision thereof. (Art. I, § 1) (1988)
Every citizen has the right to keep and bear arms for security and
defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and for other lawful
purposes. (Art. I, § 11, [1]) (1982)
All persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of
themselves, their families, their property and the state. (Part I, Art.
2a) No person, who is conscientiously scrupulous about the lawfulness
of bearing arms, shall be compelled thereto. (Part I, Art. 13) (1982)
No law shall abridge the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms
for security and defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and
for other lawful purposes, but nothing herein shall be held to permit
the carrying of concealed weapons. No municipality or county shall
regulate in any way, an incident of the right to keep and bear arms.
(Art. II, § 6) (1986; previous versions 1971, 1912)
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a
All individuals are by nature equally free and independent and have
certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and
defending life and liberty; acquiring, possessing and protecting
property and reputation; pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness;
and to keep and bear arms for the defense of their person, family,
property, and the state, and for lawful hunting, recreational and other
lawful purposes, which shall not be infringed. (Art. I, § 1) (1984)
The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and
security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to
liberty, and shall not be kept up; and the military shall be in strict
subordination to the civil power. (Art. I, §4) (1851; previous version
1802)
The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his
home, person or property, or in aid of the civil power, when thereunto
legally summoned, shall never be prohibited; but nothing herein
contained shall prevent the Legislature from regulating the carrying of
weapons. (Art. II, § 26) (1907)
The people shall have the right to bear arms for the defence of
themselves, and the State, but the Military shall be kept in strict
subordination to the civil power. (Art. I, § 27) (1857)
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defence of themselves and
the State shall not be questioned. (Art. I, § 21) (1790)
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed. (Art. I, § 22) (1842)
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and
the state shall not be denied. (Art. VI, §24) (1889)
That the citizens of this State have a right to keep and bear arms
for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have power, by law,
to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime. (Art. I,
§ 26) (1870; previous versions 1834, 1796)
Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in lawful
defense of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power,
by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime.
(Art. I, § 23) (1876; previous versions 1868, 1845) Note: The Texas Declaration of Independence stated that “[The
Mexican government] has demanded us to deliver up our arms, which are
essential to our defense—the rightful property of freemen—and
formidable only to tyrannical governments.” The Every citizen shall have the right to bear arms in defence of
himself and the republic. The military shall at all times and in all
cases be subordinate to the civil power.”
The individual right of the people to keep and bear arms for
security and defense of self, family, others, property, or the state as
well as for other lawful purposes shall not be infringed; but nothing
herein shall prevent the legislature from defining the lawful use of
arms. (Art. I, § 6) (1984; previous version 1895)
That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of
themselves and the State—and as standing armies in time of peace are
dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the
military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by
the civil power. (Chapter I, Art. 16) (1777)
That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people,
trained to arms, is the proper, natural and safe defense of a free
state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall
not be infringed; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be
avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that in all cases the military
should be under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil
power. (Art. I, § 13) (1971; previous version 1776)
The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of
himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this
section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to
organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men. (Art. I, § 24)
(1889)
A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of
self, family, home, and state, and for lawful hunting and recreational
use. (Art. 3, § 22) (1986)
The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security,
defense, hunting, recreation, or any other lawful purpose. (Art. 1, §
25) (1998; approved by a 3:1 margin among
The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and
of the state shall not be denied. (Art. I, § 24) (1889)
Other States Two of those states have general provisions that protect a right to
defend life and liberty: · · State
Constitutions and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms It's pretty easy, even for a child with an elementary school education to take a close look at what the Founding Fathers had to say about the right to keep and bear arms and look at what the many State Constitutions have to say on the subject and then come up with a definitive conclusion on what the Second Amendment was intended for. I simply cannot imagine that anyone with the most trivial grade-school education who is this side of being mentally incompetent could possibly believe anything less than we do about the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms. Anyone who voices the opinion that the right to keep and bear arms is strictly limited to those who are currently serving in the Army National Guard and that the Second Amendment's general purpose is so the States could maintain their own militias, simply has no clue what they're talking about. I've said it before and I'll probably say it again: If the Founding Fathers ever entertained the notion that the right to keep and bear arms was strictly reserved to those who are actively serving in a State Militia, they kept it as the most closely guarded secret of the 18th and 19th centuries. None of the Founding Fathers who created and signed the Declaration of Independence, ratified the Bill of Rights or participated in the birth of the United States of America and its separation from English rule and who wrote and ratified the United States Constitution, ever uttered the notion in words or print that the Second Amendment was limited to active service in a State's Militia. In the upcoming D.C. V Heller case, the question before the United States Supreme Court is the following: "Whether the following provisions --- D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a) and 7-2507.02 --- violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes" If the United States Supreme Court finds that gun bans are not prohibited by the Second Amendment for citizens who are not affiliated with a state-regulated militia, the end of true freedom in the United States of America is very near. Closing Comments Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read the Minuteman Monthly Newsletter. I encourage you to pass it on. You may use this newsletter as you see fit. You may post it, blog it, print it, forward it and publish it. The only thing I ask is that somewhere in your material, make sure the URL www.SaveTheGuns.com appears prominently. Thanks,
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