Understanding the Second Amendment, A historical view of the right to keep and bear arms, and what

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.

A well regulated militia... Most people don't realize that the war for independence was fought by the people of the colonies, often a loose knit miltia from various towns and regions. The famous Minutemen were one such group.

being necessary to the security of a free State... The colonists sought freedom from England's rule, primarily due to being overburdened with taxes that made it nearly impossible to make a living.

the right of the People... This means all citizens and residents of the country. At that point in time, there were relatively few natural born citizens of European descent. Most of the few that existed were children at that point in time.

to keep and bear arms... this means to own and transport any arms the citizen might have. King George made it illegal to own or carry firearms, since if they citizens aren't armed, they can bellyache, but cannot stage an armed revolt. Consequently, even the Minutemen had to keep their weapons hidden, but do so in a manner that allowed them to get to them quickly.

shall not be infringed... while this portion of the amendment is not ambiguous at all, it seems to be little understood. Shall not be... I think everyone knows what that means, infringed at that time meant to defeat or invalidate. The meaning has changed somewhat over time, but this portion of the amendment still means that the right to keep and bear arms is not to be touched by the government at any time by any means.

In case you don't fully understand what this means to us today, look at your history books. One of the first things any dictator tries to do is take the weapons away from the people. Do you really think those in power in D.C. give a damn about people accidentally or on purpose being shot? Only if the people being shot are them. They really don't care about the average American, they're only looking to protect themselves. They're raping the country and taxpayers, so they're afraid at some point the citizens will stand up with weapons in their hands and say "We're not taking this any more." Why do you think those that are trying to take our right to weapons away are adamant about getting the "assault" weapons first, though they truly have no idea what an assault weapon is. They don't want the citizens to have firepower equivalent to the forces at their command. The second amendment was not added to the constitution so that the citizens could hunt, or protect themselves from street criminals. It was added to the constitution because the founding fathers knew that power corrupts, therefore at some point our government would become so corrupt as to need to be routed out and replaced. One must only listen to what the press, an organ of D.C. power is really saying, they're going to force us to live how they want us to live, whether we like it or not. Yet, not one law they pass applies to the lawmakers, why is that, do you suppose? Is what they're forcing on the rest of us not good enough for them? Nope it's sure not, inf fact, the things they're doing now, like the big healthcare plan, is only another way for them to line their pockets while they exert more control over the average citizen.