04-03-2013, 07:15 PM
davester wrote:
There's nothing in the constitution that says that there is a right to own a weapon for personal purposes (sport, self-defense, etc.). I agree that there should be no burdens (monetary or otherwise) on the right of the people (not necessarily individuals) to bear arms in support of a well-regulated militia. However, the almost completely unregulated ownership of guns for all sorts of uses having nothing to do with this purpose is not a constitutional right. Why is this difficult to understand?
As much as i tend to agree with this historical interpretation, the SCotUS has ruled otherwise. As of now, there is a constitutional individual right to own and keep a gun in one's home for self-defense.
That doesn't mean they have to be unregulated or that the right is absolute (no such rights exist under our system).