Second Amendment protects our country

A cloud of misunderstanding surrounds Amendment II of The Constitution. Much confusion is the result of talk rather than reading and understanding it. Amendment II states: “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.” Understanding becomes clearer as follows:

The term “arms” was not narrowly defined. Arms could have been anything at that time, such as muskets, Kentucky rifles, cannons, and mortars.

Our Founding Fathers realized that in an “emergency” for the security of the United States, a well-regulated militia would be composed of citizens coming together quickly to expel a threat such as an invasion, for example. In order to do so, it is obvious that citizens would provide their own arms in such a dire emergency. The Founding Fathers experienced such matters in the French/Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War. Thus, to be practical and confront an enemy advancing on our shores, the right of the people to keep and bear arms is essential under such dire circumstances.

Today, well intentioned but impractical if not foolish politicians want to control law-abiding citizens by confiscating arms. This would be disastrous in a true emergency. Our Founding Fathers knew what real threats could face the nation and what it took to maintain a free state. Consequently, Amendment II was clearly written for the protection of the country, not the control of the people.

Gary C. Young

Cedar Rapids