POLL: Does the 2A give the right to own assault rifles?

[Locksmith]

No longer valid

[AEA]

Link does not work for me. And, do they even know what an assault rifle actually is?

[killerfly128]

Do you believe the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution gives individuals the right to own assault weapons?
Poll Results: 1,754 votes
51%
No.

33%
Yes.

10%
Probably.

6%
Other.

[longtooth]

Yes, and that by any definition of an AW.

[killerfly128]

Yes, and that by any definition of an AW.

Well said sir.

[TxRVer]

I voted yes.

[phoneguy]

I ran about 20 of the poll questions and found a pretty definate leftward tilt of the questions and responses, not DailyKos kook left, but still left leaning. So consider the source.

[Oldgringo]

It's a loaded question!

As others have asked before me, what exactly is an assault weapon? A rock, under the proper circumstances, can be an assault weapon.

[C-dub]

So, the answer would be, Yes. You can have a rock.

[joe817]

It seems like under certain definitions of certain LEO's even a miniature dachshund is an assault weapon.

[Mithras61]

Actually, no, the 2nd amendment doesn't GIVE the right to own an assault rifle, it merely recognizes the right exists. The purpose was explicitly to ensure that the common peoples of this country could have weapons of war at least as good as those wielded by the military forces they face. Taking away automatic and select fire weaponry intentionally defeats this purpose.


(I voted "Yes" because of how & who, but y'know...)

[papabear]

I vote yes too.
Everbody should have what we can afford even if some cant have the expensive ones.

[Bart]

Actually, no, the 2nd amendment doesn't GIVE the right to own an assault rifle, it merely recognizes the right exists. The purpose was explicitly to ensure that the common peoples of this country could have weapons of war at least as good as those wielded by the military forces they face. Taking away automatic and select fire weaponry intentionally defeats this purpose.

NFA is unconstitutional.

I wonder why we see so many gun polls but I never see polls like

• * Do you believe the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution gives you the right to respond to this poll?
  * Do you believe the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution gives individuals the right to be Protestants?
  * Do you believe the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution gives individuals the right to lock their doors?
  * Do you believe the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution gives individuals the right to remain silent?

[JPGIII]

Voted Yes,

I have one seriously fundamental problem with the majority of gun control laws.

1) Who is stopped from committing a major law (felony: aggravated assault/rape/murder) by the existence of a minor law (trespassing, unlawful possession of a firearm, breaking & entering)?? What criminal says "Dude, we can't steal that TV we'd have to break into the guy's house!" Last I checked, I didn't hear any stories about criminals asking permission before breaking the law... "mam, can I please rape you?"

You commit small crime to get to -> the big crime.

You trespass -> in order to burglarize ... You're committing two crimes
You hold someone at knife point -> in order to kidnap them ... You're committing two crimes
You hold up a bank w/ an AK47 -> in order to rob the bank ... You're committing two crimes

So we outlaw the small crime. Trespassing is illegal, holding someone at knife point is illegal, walking into a bank waving an AK-47 is illegal.

Is owning a pair of feet illegal? Last I checked I could walk around without trespassing.
Is owning a knife illegal? I use my pocket knife almost daily (mostly for opening mail looking for my PIN these days hehe)
Is owning a gun illegal? ... WAIT A MINUTE! IT IS???

You can't buy _______________ (insert your choice of weapon of mass destruction here) because you MIGHT commit a crime with it? That's my problem.

Ownership of ___________ is a right. Being a law abiding citizen is the responsibility. No one (read: government) has the authority to deny a right BEFORE a citizen has demonstrated they are irresponsible. Innocent until proven guilty... RESPONSIBLE until proven otherwise.

I don't care if you own a fully automatic weapon... I don't care if you have grenades, land mines, or atomic bombs in your house. I DO CARE if they are not secured (that's part of the responsibility). I don't like the idea of an atomic bomb (ok, ok ... fully loaded machine gun) just sitting on John Doe's porch. It needs to be secured. But John Doe has every right to own whatever he pleases. THEN if he uses it to commit a crime he pays double (triple/whatever) the price. Rob a bank with an atomic bomb and they kill you twice! I do care if you are trained on the operation of what you own. They (whatever.. handgun, rifle, machine gun) are dangerous and it is showing responsibility to demonstrate you can handle them responsibly (CHL Classes, Gun Safety Classes, etc.) Before you drive a car, you show you can use it responsibly, then you can drive one ... and last I checked, it didn't take 120+ days to get my drivers license! Anyway...

Don't ever deny the right to own something because you think a person might maybe could perhaps use that something as an instrument to commit a larger crime, it doesn't work and it is a serious infringement on the rights of every responsible person who does not commit a crime.

My .02

[stevie_d_64]

Boy, was that easy...

48% are sure not friends of mine...