Letter to the Editor: Rebuttal to letter about the Second Amendment – Northern Virginia Daily

Editor:

Mr. Michael Cash's recent letter, claiming the Second Amendment to the Constitution was enacted to support slaveowners, caught my interest. He sees the "well-regulated militia" terminology as the Founding Fathers' assurance to slave-owning states that they could maintain armed "slave patrols" to terminate slave rebellions.

Mr. Cash cites no evidence to back up this old and oft-repeated fish-story; a wise decision, considering it was originally dreamed up by the widely discredited radio commentator and conspiracy theorist Thom Hartmann. Not wishing to repeat his mistake, I invite readers to look online for Dr. Paul Finkelman (a past fellow in law and humanities at Harvard Law School), who specifically puts Mr. Cash's tall tale to rest.

Notwithstanding the inaccuracy of his claim, Mr. Cash's remarkable implication is that today's supporters of the Second Amendment believe in some longstanding Constitutional right to use their firearms to terrorize and murder any perceived foes. I deplore his contempt for the Constitution, its creators, and innocent, law-abiding Americans exercising their Constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court has ruled that gun ownership is an individual right rather than a state's right to operate a militia. In point of fact, back then the militia composed all able-bodied males, naturally including their right to keep and bear arms. The founders wanted the means of force dispersed not centralized in the hands of the government. The amendment was written by men who had recent experience with the British trying to disarm Americans.

Predictably, Mr. Cash goes on to criticize Del. Todd Gilbert and Republicans for failing to take any action on gun control, therefore being to blame for mass murders. Nonsense. Republicans want to curb violence in our society, but in accordance with the Constitution. The gun laws proposed in Richmond in 2019 would succeed only in abridging the rights of law-abiding gun owners while ignoring the impact of illegal firearms.

The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are amazing and very special documents. I have sworn to defend them and will continue to do so.

Bill Rogers, New Market

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Letter to the Editor: Rebuttal to letter about the Second Amendment - Northern Virginia Daily