Archive for the ‘Second Amendment’ Category

Founders intended limits on gun rights

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The National Rifle Association and their fellow gun enthusiasts continue to misconstrue the founders original intent in creating the Second Amendment to the Constitution. A recently published NRA comment states that Guns save lives, stop crime and protect you. This is why we arm police, why people arm themselves and why the Founders put the Second Amendment in the Constitution.

The amendment reads as follows: 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 total of 27 words.

The NRAs comment in the first paragraph would be accurate if these first 13 words of the Second Amendment concerning the role of a militia had not been included in this simple statement. The first 13 words have meaning. The founders were much concerned about the power of a standing army and the possibility of overt military control of the fledgling country.

In 1791 the members of the Virginia legislature elaborated on the importance of a militia in a letter accompanying their ratification of the first 10 amendments (1791). They stated 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. That armies in the time of peace are dangerous to liberty: and that in all cases the military should be under strict subordination to and governed by the Civil power. 1791 was a time when less than 15 percent of the white male population, mostly untrained in the military use of weapons, possessed guns.

The requirement for a well trained militia rather than a standing army was further emphasized in several issues of the Federalist Papers authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. In fact, Federalist No. 29 was exclusively dedicated to the need for a militia.

Of course, the issue of no standing army was short-lived. The War of 1812 proved that a standing army and navy were essential to our survival as an independent nation. The concern, however, about undue influence of the military remains today.

Over the years Supreme Court rulings have essentially ignored the first half of the Second Amendment, opting instead for easy access to weapons. A major question: How did the founders intent to provide for a militia evolve into a nation with over 300 million guns in circulation?

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in his recent book, Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, proposes the addition of five words to the Second Amendment. As so amended, it would read: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the Militia shall not be infringed.

There is no Second Amendment right to own guns! So intended the founders!

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Founders intended limits on gun rights

OPEN CARRY AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT PT 1 – Video


OPEN CARRY AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT PT 1
VIDEO WAS CUT SHORT SORRY SO STAY TUNED FOR PART 2.

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OPEN CARRY AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT PT 1 - Video

open carry and the second amendment pt 2 – Video


open carry and the second amendment pt 2
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open carry and the second amendment pt 2 - Video

Panel at Albany Law School discusses second amendment

Created: 10/09/2014 6:58 PM WNYT.com By: WNYT Staff

The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms.

How should that be applied in the 21st century?

That was the topic of debate at Albany Law School.

The panel included state lawmakers, college professors and Robert Schulz, chairman of "We The People Of New York."

They discussed the New York SAFE Act and the implications of mass shootings and the school shooting at Sandy Hook.

Its great for students to interact on real life issues at the law school, said U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian. In this case the second amendment to the Bill of Rights and discuss its impact to today's society. It gets their minds working and makes for a lively discussion and debate,

Hartunian moderated the afternoon session. He was a member of the Albany Law School class of 1986.

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Panel at Albany Law School discusses second amendment

Amendments deal with tax breaks for disabled homeowners

Published: Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

Two proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would clarify how local governments grant property tax relief to disabled homeowners in Louisiana.

Proposed Amendment No. 7 Do you support an amendment to provide that the homesteads of veterans with a service-connected disability rating of one hundred percent unemployability or totally disabled by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and their surviving spouses, shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation for up to one hundred fifty thousand dollars, and that a parishwide vote shall not be required to implement this change in qualification for the exemption?

Proposed Amendment No. 9 Do you support an amendment to exclude owners who are permanently totally disabled from the requirement that they annually certify to the assessor the amount of their adjusted gross income in order to receive the Special Assessment Level on their residences for property tax purposes?

A previous constitutional amendment granted disabled veterans an exemption on taxes on property valued up to $150,000. The language of that constitutional provision has created some confusion among local tax assessors, said state Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, the author of the proposed amendment.

Constitutional Amendment 7 clarifies that a disabled veteran can receive the property tax exemption if he is deemed totally disabled by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or if he is 100 percent unemployable under Louisiana law due to military service. A surviving spouse can also receive the tax break.

Adley said some assessors were not sure whether the exemption applied to veterans who were deemed unemployable but not totally disabled. The uncertainty among tax assessors was likely cleared up during committee testimony in the recent legislative session, Adley said, but the constitutional amendment will remove any ambiguity about the intent of the Legislature.

This is simply to clear up any confusion, Adley said.

A second amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot, Constitutional Amendment 9, also deals with property taxes for disabled homeowners.

Louisiana law offers a special property tax break for permanently disabled homeowners whose income is below a certain level $67,670 in 2013 and adjusted for inflation annually. The law freezes the property value on the qualifying homes to prevent spikes in tax bills.

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Amendments deal with tax breaks for disabled homeowners