Okay, so you don't believe that the Second Amendment has anything to do with disposing a tyrannical government or the individual right to bear arms. Let's establish some context, by looking at some history and correct those misconceptions.

In 1774, Great Britain enacted a ban on the import all firearms and gunpowder.

On April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord sparked the beginning of the Revolutionary war. British Governor of Massachusetts, General Gage, was ordered to destroy all military supplies in Concord; this is too including their weapons, obviously. The Colonists resisted and a battle ensued. The spark was England's attempt to disarm the colonists. This wasn't the first time that he had attempted to disarm the Colonists, but this was the first time that the attempt had resulted in shots being fired and then quickly into an all-out battle.

Gage continued his attempts to disarm the Colonists in Massachusetts. He proclaimed that any armed civilian was traitor. He allowed them to hand over their arms peacefully, but after only 2,600 guns were handed over in Boston, it was clear that the Colonists were refusing. May 25, 1775, London dispatched more troops to the Colonies, under order to seize all public armories and secret collections of arms.

On July 8th, 1775, the Continental Congress sent an open letter to Great Britain issuing the warning, “men trained to arms from their Infancy, and animated by the Love of Liberty, will afford neither a cheap or easy conquest.”

July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence is signed. Here an excerpt from the document, in favor of disposing a tyrannical government, for all of the reasons listed.

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

So, it is clear that the Founder’s believed that, when left with no other recourse in the face of a tyrannical government, violent revolution was the only option. They exhausted their options and the government actively pursued a campaign to disarm the people.

Now, with a bloody war fought over liberty (the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views) they were quite aware of that fact that a government could become a tyranny. They were aware that it could happen again.

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." — Daniel Webster

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."— James Madison (attributed to Madison, by his contemporaries

“History, in general, only informs us what bad government is.”-Thomas Jefferson (1807)

“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”-Thomas Paine

So, the Founding Fathers knew that a government could go bad, but what were their thoughts on dealing with such a government?

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”-Thomas Jefferson

“When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise the original rights of self defense – to fight the government.” – Alexander Hamilton

But how would the “people” have the ability to fight the government if they themselves were not allowed to own weapons? Well, that’s because they believed in the individual’s right to weapon ownership.

“…that standing army can never be formidable (threatening) to the liberties of the people, while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in the use of arms.” –Alexander Hamilton(Federalist Paper #29)

“The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, … or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press.”- Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Major John Cartwright (5 June 1824).

“Here every private person is authorized to arm himself, and on the strength of this authority, I do not deny the inhabitants had a right to arm themselves at that time, for their defense, not for offence."- John Adams as defense attorney for the British soldiers on trial for the Boston Massacre. Reported in L. Kinvin Wroth and Hiller B. Zobel, ed., Legal Papers of John Adams (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1965), 3:248.

“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.”-James Madison Federalist No. 46 1788

“That the People have a right to keep and bear Arms; that a well regulated Militia, composed of the Body of the People, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe Defence of a free state.” George Mason Within Mason's declaration of "the essential and unalienable Rights of the People", later adopted by the Virginia ratification convention (1788)

“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.” - Patrick Henry Virginia's U.S. Constitution ratification convention (June 5, 1788), reported in Elliot, Debates of the Several State Conventions 3:45.

“[A]rms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not others dare not lay them aside. And while a single nation refuses to lay them down, it is proper that all should keep them up. Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them; for while avarice and ambition have a place in the heart of man, the weak will become a prey to the strong. The history of every age and nation establishes these truths, and facts need but little arguments when they prove themselves.”- Thomas Paine, as quoted in "Thoughts On Defensive War" (1775), by T. Paine, Pennsylvania Magazine (July 1775).

“Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.” -Noah Webster, writing under the nom de plume of "A Citizen of America", as quoted in An Examination Into the Leading Principles of the Constitution (17 October 1787).

“A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms...To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always posses arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them...The mind that aims at a select militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle.”- Melancton Smith, Additional Letters From The Federal Farmer, 1788.

“The rights of conscience, of bearing arms, of changing the government, are declared to be inherent in the people.” - Fisher Ames, Letter to F.R. Minoe, June 12, 1789 (reporting to Minoe on the amendments proposed by Madison).

"Give me liberty, or give me death!"- Patrick Henry

So, I’ve established a historical precedence prior to the war and during the early days of a tyrannical government attempting to disarm their people. I’ve shown that the Founding Fathers recognized this tactic and had taken notice of the trend around the world and across history. I’ve shown that the Fathers did in fact believe in the right to bear arms by the individual, as well as overthrowing oppressive governments. I believe it’s safe to say I more than adequately argued my point and disproved yours.

DONT TREAD ON ME