Ted Nugent on Gun Control

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by jsarno

You make some very valid points.
Well, we are a country that beleives every man should be free. While they were "OK" with it, it was not a constitutional right such as the right to bear arms. I'm honestly not saying that what they believed in 1776 should 100% apply...just what the country was founded on IE: the constitution.

Well, actually, the constitution had to be amended to permit blacks, women and unpropertied white men to vote.

Please trust me when I tell you that I am a firm believer in the Rule of Law and the Constitution as the touchstone of our society. Because of that, and b/c the founders were, in fact, a diverse collection of brilliant men, it is important to discern and "interpret" what they were trying to say and why they said it. The english language is a wonderful tool and can be very precise and clear. Unfortunately, some of its beauty is found in its flexibility and this can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. What seems plain to you may not seem so plain to others even though they are reading the same sentence. ("The car is quiet" - Does that mean its running quietly? That people in the car are quiet? Could be either - don't know out of context).

In the Bill of Rights the founders identified and succintly stated many timeless truths and guides. They did so, however, based on the world view of upper class propertied white men and used the english language in a manner in a particular way inherent to their education and class. Further, they made these statements in response to particular things going on around them. To say "it means what it says" about the Constitution and Bill of Rights is to emasculate the brilliance of our founders.

Originally Posted by jsarno

Well I am referring to the "gun control" part as in, you shouldn't have a gun. In the wild west they all had guns and liked it, although they requested certain areas be gun free (ie: leave them at the door) etc.

I believe, but am not certain, that the "everybody had guns and carried em everywhere" is a myth perpetuated by a variety of sources. My curiosity is peaked. Certainly, many towns had an armed populace (the Dalton Gang was shot to shreds by the locals). At the same time, I have read a couple sources that suggest the majority of western towns had pretty strict rules on gun ownership.

Originally Posted by jsarno

While I agree, I disagree to a point as well. They put a lot of thought into our country and we've made it this far with them. The people of now-a-days would like to change a lot of things. Hell, what if we get a gay president and he decides to make a law that saws all heterosexual sex is illegal punished by death? The whole country couldn't reproduce and we would die. So just cause our society might feel it's right, doesn't mean it is. We are colored by our experiences, and we are a country of "reactors", not visionaries.

First, I am going to assume your gay president, sex punishable by death example is hyperbole based on the ridiculousness of the statement to demonstrate your statement that "just cause our society might feel its right doesn't mean it is". Such a scenario is simply not going to happen for any number of reasons. Essentially, it would require either the vast majority of the population aquiescing to trashing the Constitution, all judicial precedent and the imposition of martial law to suppress any dissenters.

In response to the argument that "just cause we think its right doesn't make it is" assertion - I pose the timeless question asked by Pontious Pilate - "What is truth?". Ultimately, as a society, we choose what is right for us. You say that just b/c we choose it, that doesn't make it right. Again, who does get to decide what is "right"? Part of the beauty of the Constitution is that it set forth a government in which "We the People" choose what is right for us. The checks and balances contained within it, the ability to modify it, and the basic governmental structure set out in it create a system that is not subject to rampant change but that can (and has) grown. In turn, the system thus created both allows and ensures that, ultimately, it is the people of this country who decide "what is right" for them.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
(just a little plug for the monarchist party)