NRA is misrepresenting Second Amendment

The National Rifle Association is misrepresenting the Second Amendment and the men who created it. The founders never intended the amendment as justification for citizens to make war on their government.

George Washington, desperate to retire to Mount Vernon, only agreed to attend the Constitutional Convention because of his concerns about the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation. The weak Continental Congress and its inability to supply his army's needs throughout the war and his distress over Shays' short-lived rebellion in Massachusetts convinced him the country needed a strong central government to hold the states together. James Madison, after an exhaustive study of governmental systems throughout history, reached the same conclusions by the time the two men arrived in Philadelphia.

They hoped for a standing army capable of fending off any new challenges. When it became apparent the nation couldn't afford it, they decided to rely on a militia system. Every home would keep a musket in working order and be ready to come to the nation's defense if needed. Washington felt so strongly about the federal government that he commanded a militia group during his presidency to put down the Whiskey Rebellion threatening the sovereignty of the federal system.

The NRA is doing the bidding of extremists and gun manufacturers, not sportsmen. Hunters are justifiably proud of the skill to bring down prey in an efficient and, yes, humane manner. They don't want or need weapons of war.

Mary Chilton

Cedar Rapids

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