What the world needs now is guns, more guns

As soon as I read the news blurb about the Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment protects the individual's right to have a gun in one's home, I ran over the the computer as fast as I could to blog up my ideas. That's right, Standardchuck readers, there are only a few topics (racism, stupidity, dumb sports things, Lyle Lovett) that make me drop everything to type out some e-words. Gun control is one of them, particularly when a conservative Supreme Court decides to legislate.

In the majority opinion, Justice Antonin "I hate freedom" Scalia "said the history of the 2nd Amendment shows its authors intended to protect the 'right of the people' as individuals to have weapons, both to defend themselves and their community." Thus, we now have a definite ruling by the Supreme Court that the Second Amendment specifically protects the rights of individuals to own and possess guns. This is a most disturbing turn of events, especially in light of the fact that this was the first time the high court has even overturned a gun ban on the basis of the second amendment.

The wording of the second Amendment is as follows: 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.

This is a classic moment where there is a disconnect between the original intent of the Amendment and the current interpretation that the Supreme Court's conservative majority utilized to protect gun rights using the amendment. The key word for me seems to be militia, which is defined as "civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army." The average gun owner is not a trained soldier. Simply going to a gun range and shooting at a target does not make you a soldier. Soldiers have duties to protect not only themselves and their immediate families, but also their country and their countries interest. The simple reduction of militia to meaning individual seems to be a huge, illogical linguistic jump. Last time I checked, militia was not a synonym for individual.

The frightening thing is that this landmark decision is the point which will lead to the expansion of gun rights in America. Even though Scalia threw in the point that the second amendment does not grant boundless freedoms, there will now be precedent set so that gun control legislation will be severely curtained. Just what the USA needed, more guns in homes, more guns in the hands of individuals, and more money pouring into the hands of anyone involved in the firearms buisness.

I am deeply saddened by the insistence of rational individuals who think that they are safer having a handgun in the home. Then again, first of all, I met and listened to Antonin Scalia, who has a great sense of humor. He's a nutbag. Second, I've lived all over the country and met many gun fans, of all different creeds and colors, and that should have convinced me that there is a lack of rational individuals in America.

Let the shoot out begin, wackos. Thanks, Edwards court.