Guns, Waiting Periods and Anger

blahblah- what do you mean re handguns? Just curious.

The Supreme Court found a constitutional right to individual ownership-- I disagree, and think the Court chose its own inaccurate history in making its opinion, but that's now the law of the land. As an aside, I've owned guns, have shot plenty and have no real dog in this fight.

The question now will be to what extent regulation will be allowed. In my opinion the NRA recognizes that is a losing issue in the courts and thus spends its efforts at the legislative / a.m. radio level.

The Brady law provides that the
waiting period provisions of the law
were effective on February 28, 1994, and
cease to apply on November 30, 1998.
**Brady imposes a waiting period of 5
business days (defined in the statute as
days on which State offices are open)
before a licensee may sell, deliver, or
transfer a handgun** (other than the
return of a handgun to the person from
whom it was received) to a nonlicensed
individual.

in order to see that [properly arming and equipping the people] be not [left unattended through carelessness], it will be [logically unavoidable] to assemble them once or twice in the course of a year.

Our society has changed, our culture has changed.

Laws should be adapted to reflect our current social structure. We are no longer in the process of seceding from England.

The absolute unqualified command that Congress have over the militia may be made instrumental to the destruction of all liberty both public and private; whether of a personal, civil or religious nature.

First, the personal liberty of every man, probably from sixteen to sixty years of age, may be destroyed by the power Congress have in organizing and governing of the militia. As militia they may be subjected to fines to any amount, levied in a military manner; they may be subjected to corporal punishments of the most disgraceful and humiliating kind; and to death itself, by the sentence of a court martial. To this our young men will be more immediately subjected, as a select militia, composed of them, will best answer the purposes of government.

Secondly, the rights of conscience may be violated, as there is no exemption of those persons who are conscientiously scrupulous of hearing arms. These compose a respectable proportion of the community in the State [Pennsylvania]. This is the more remarkable, because even when the distresses of the late war and the evident disaffection of many citizens of that description inflamed our passions, and when every person who was obliged to risk his own life must have been exasperated against such as on any account kept back from the common danger, yet even then, when outrage and violence might have been expected, the rights of conscience were held sacred.

At this momentous crisis, the framers of our State Constitution made the most express and decided declaration and stipulations in favor of the rights of conscience; but now, when no necessity exists, those dearest rights of men are left insecure.

Thirdly, the absolute command of Congress over the militia may be destructive of public liberty; for under the guidance of an arbitrary government, they may be made the unwilling instruments of tyranny. The militia of Pennsylvania may be marched to New England or Virginia to quell an insurrection occasioned by the most galling oppression, and aided by the standing army, they will no doubt be successful in subduing their liberty and independency. But in so doing, although the magnanimity of their minds will be extinguished, yet the meaner passions of resentment and revenge will be increased, and these in turn will be the ready and obedient instruments of despotism to enslave the others; and that with an irritated vengeance. Thus may the militia be made the instruments of crushing the last efforts of expiring liberty, of riveting the chains of despotism on their fellow-citizens, and on one another. This power can be exercised not only without violating the Constitution, but in strict conformity with it; it is calculated for this express purpose, and will doubtless be executed accordingly.

As this government will not enjoy the confidence of the people, but be executed by force, it will be a very expensive and burdensome government. The standing army must be numerous, and as a further support, it wilt be the policy of this government to multiply officers in every department; judges, collectors, tax-gatherers, excisemen and the whole host of revenue officers, will swarm over the land, devouring the hard earnings of the industrious like the locusts of old, impoverishing and desolating all before them . . .