Your Opinion: Second Amendment and "Right of Revolution'

Dear Editor:

The Second Amendment reads like this: "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." The preface "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state," explains the reason for this right being protected. To keep and bear arms is a right of the people. That means that right is an individual right, a personal right. You own that right.

"We the people" are sovereign in these United States and "We the people" are that well regulated militia that guards the security of our free country. America is a civil society that has entered into a social compact for equal protection of our individual rights. It was said in the days of our founding that whenever governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia. Stand tall my fellow patriots.

The Declaration specifies that when government becomes destructive of the ends for which it is established - the "safety and happiness" of the people - then it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government.

This has come to be known as the "Right of Revolution." We the people must never cede this right to anyone for this right is what guarantees the security of all the other rights. Since we have this right of revolution then by necessity we have the right to the means of revolution.

Only an armed people are a free people. Do not let anyone take your guns. And, by the way, if our government can run fully automatic assault rifles across the border in the Fast and Furious program or ship them to the Islamic Brotherhood how can they tell us that we can't have them?

The president's willingness to rule by executive order must be checked. There has been no delegation of powers to the executive branch for him to rule by executive orders. We have every right to demand that he abide by the separation of powers and the rule of law.

A frequent recurrence of first principles is an indispensable means of preserving free government. Our Second Amendment rights are fundamental rights and as such are binding on all the states through the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.