Debate Info

Debate Score:3
Arguments:3
Total Votes:3
Show More Stats

Argument Tags

side graph
 
 Protection (1)

Debate Creator

NeverShine(37) pic



What does the 2nd Amendment mean to you?

"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."

What does this mean to you? Do you believe this Amendment grants every citizen a right to bear arms, or just a "well regulated Militia". 

Does it grant both?

My personal opinion is that it grants the people as a whole, but I would like to hear what you think.

 


Add New Argument
Vote Up Vote Down
1 point  

It means both. The purpose of the amendment was to guarantee that the government is by the people and for the people. If you take the people's right to bear arms then the government will cease to be for the people.

123 days ago
Vote Up Vote Down
1 point  

The right of the PEOPLE. Not the government (which is where the well regulated militia comes from).

The second amendment deals with two things. It says that the government is ALLOWED to create a well regulated militia in order to keep the country safe from foreign enemies (in our case, Al-Qaeda) and to keep citizens safe from other citizens (murderers, rioters, rapists, etc.)

And then it deals with the right of the PEOPLE to bear arms. It says that the government CAN NOT infringe on this right. This is why the comma was conveniently placed. This itself is for two reasons:

1. For citizens to protect themselves when the government can not.

2. For citizens to be able to fight back when the government has become tyrannical.

The right to bear arms is not practiced in tyrannical governments for a reason. It's hard to uprise when you can't even fight. This is why Cubans have been escaping to America instead of fighting the regime. They have nothing to fight with.

123 days ago | Tagged As: Protection
- Locke5(9) Disputed
Vote Up Vote Down
1 point  

By people, the second amendment implies the people of the militia. It is stating that the citizens affiliated with the militia may all bear arms, so that a soldier is not without a weapon.

However, another view on the militia itself is that all citizens of the state are members of the militia, and so everyone may bear arms in order to protect the state if necessary.

85 days ago
Popular Debates: OK, here's what I understand so far about Nationalized Health Care and one question "Why Is It Hard For People, In General, To Debate Issues Without Getting Mad?" There Is a Meaning to Life


bottomAd


About CreateDebate
The CreateDebate Blog
Take a Tour
Help/FAQ
Newsletter Archive
Sharing Tools
Invite Your Friends
Bookmarklets
Partner Buttons
RSS & XML Feeds
Reach Out
Advertise
Contact Us
Report Abuse
Twitter
Basic Stuff
User Agreement
Privacy Policy
Sitemap
Creative Commons



©2010 CreateDebate, LLC All Rights Reserved. User content, unless source quoted, licensed under a Creative Commons License.