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TexasGal wrote:I'm starting to think even gun owners will be happy to vote for a law that puts a stop to open carry of long guns anywhere but gun shows, ranges, and hunting settings. Just to put a stop to these displays.

No it doesnt???? If not intended to guarantee the rights of the people, then just what does The Bill of Rights mean & who does it apply to?? Also explain why you think the states can ignore the Bill of Rights?

Jim Beaux wrote:
The first 10 Amendments are called the "Bill of Rights".

There is no ambiguity. These10 amendments clearly apply ONLY TO the PEOPLE. The Bill of Rights establish and guarantee the freedoms for the people ( and grant to the people everything that is not specifically given to the fed.)

Charles L. Cotton wrote:I really haven't heard anyone claim they were carrying a rifle or shotgun into a store to exercise their constitutional right. Oh, perhaps there was one or two who said that on camera, but I really don't recall.

ShootDontTalk wrote:

Also I'm a huge firearm supporter and gun rights guy but this 2A crap is wearing thin with me. The 2nd doesn't say you can go anywhere and do everything with a rifle on your back and people are prohibited from being concerned. Limited what you can buy, own, and keep. Restrictions on movement and punitive taxes are 2nd A issues, not going to the movies with an AK.

Respectfully my friend, the 2nd Amendment does not say anything whatsoever about people being concerned. Please correct me if I misread what you wrote, but you cite restrictions on movement and punitive taxes as 2nd Amendment issues, then cite a restriction on movement (carrying an AK) into a movie as not being a 2nd Amendment issue. Come to think of it, nothing in the entire Constitution speaks to how people feel about the rights laid out. Constitutional rights are rights and are not subject to how we, or any American citizen, feels about them.

You are absolutely correct in this. The 2nd Amendment offers no restrictions, positive or negative, on what or where you can own or carry. It is silent on those issues. But we must deal with those two simple words "keep and bear." I believe those two words are at the heart of the issue.

Again, with all due respect, a lot of people have bled and died to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, which includes the Bill of Rights. I believe it is the greatest document ever penned by man and worthy of respect. Of course, you're free to disagree.

I did state, and have in several other threads, that I too disagree with the tactics of those who want to force the issue. I understand our frustration. I am frustrated too. I would hope we seek a real solution, not just another fire.

ShootDontTalk wrote:

EEllis wrote:I don't believe the "They will get used to it" line that people are pushing. I grew up in a couple of small towns where you could go to school with a gun in the rack in your truck. People just didn't carry into stores or restaurants ever. There was just no need and it didn't happen. A kid on his bike would prop his .22 inside door or by the counter inside a store when he went to go get candy or whatever. The idea that anyone would ever walk up to the counter of dairy queen with a rifle slung is misleading at best. They always would of thought you had issues and the cops would be talking to you. If there is a reason then people still don't give you a second look now. It is when you are doing something that there is no reason for that people start wondering what the heck you might be up to.

Every time I hear this I am more and more concerned. That you own and carry a firearm is not connected in any way, shape, or form with your "need" to own and carry one. It is based on your Constitutional "right" to own and carry. There is a vast gap between what you "need" and what is your Constitutional right.

All the restrictions we have on the when and where, or even the existence, of owning and carrying are legal infringements on the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. All the permissions of law concerning firearms are infringements of the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

I think each of us need to carefully read the 2nd Amendment every day and decide to what extent "shall not be infringed" will be tolerated. I suppose some of you think I am some kind of "OCT" firebrand nut who carries an AR into WalMart. I assure you I am not such a person. Why? Because I believe my good judgement prevents me from doing so. Therefore I have no desire to. I don't feel I have a "need" to. But never let it be said that I don't have the right, under the 2nd Amendment, to do so. I am in a Catch 22 of sorts. To say that I have the right, but don't exercise it to the extent others do, does not qualify me to decide if others have the right.

Whenever I look at those who protest differently than I, I always remember the old saying, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your RIGHT to say it." I suppose since we the people are the government, the only way to control how others exercise their Constitutional rights is to enact infringements under force of law. How far are we willing to go?