AR15 and the Second Amendment

Judge William Young

Recently in Boston U.S. District Court Judge William Young upheld Massachusett's ban on AR-15s and large-capacity magazines, saying AR-15s are not protected by the Second Amendment!  He wrote: “The AR-15 and its analogs, along with large capacity magazines, are simply not weapons within the original meaning of the individual constitutional right to bear arms.  Let us read the Second Amendment: "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." Judge Young is absurd. There is no prohibition from citizens having any kind of weapon in the Second Amendment.  Read it!   The weapons of the day are legal to own by the people.  There is nothing in the Constitution to keep any citizen from having a nuclear weapon! Every ruling of his kind opposes our Second Amendment rights and it is not only what permitted this country, but has saved us from invaders several times. Our history is reduced to the intellect and actions of a few men so the story can be packaged, told and taught.  Much as no physical science teacher believes atoms are tiny solar systems with electrons in planetary orbits knows "It is something we can teach!" Thus our history of the battles of our wars are reduced to the battles, but they are not the whole story or even the critical factor. The history of our Revolution is one of the day-by-day effort of a population of men and boys using "squirrel guns," weapons designed to kill small animals, a staple of the early American diet. And the power of wounds, not death to invaders. If you kill a man in battle those behind him step over the corpse and continue the attack.  If you wound a man four soldiers break rank to carry the fallen away to treat his wounds.  One bullet can take five men out of the action if it does not kill the target, but our citizen defenders were more often not in the battles!  They did their work as the British Regulars marched on the roads or were bivouacked in camps.  They could sneak to within firing range, shoot and vanish into the brush.  Their small caliber guns were so accurate they could well count on an effective shot every time!  All were hand-made long-bore black powder rifles with 22 caliber sized bullets.   The effectiveness of such weapons is the reason all 22 caliber bullets were outlawed by the Geneva Convention of "Civlized War" just before World War I as the war generals prefer dead soldiers to wounded men.  That our AR16 fully automatic 223 caliber weapon is technically Geneva Convention illegal unless you go to the third decimal is an interesting, if not embarrassing fact, but who expects our leaders to be men of principle?  In truth the "223" is so high speed it is as effective as any "large ball" weapon. In the time of the Revolutionary War and for two generations, 40 years, the importance of an armed people did not have to be taught in our schools.  It was part of our culture.  The Civil War refreshed the importance of personal defense of a lethal kind many ways. 600,000 young men died making that many widows or girls who would never marry.  They learned to shoot and from that came an "American girl," spunkier culture based on the ability to defend herself with a "ladies gun," the 41 caliber "over and under" two shot Derringer "garter pistol."  And, some dead "galoots" who got "fresh." When the Japanese were planning war with America Admiral Yamamoto, who lead the attack on Pearl Harbor as he had been educated at Harvard, warned the Japanese High Command, "Never invade America.  They all have guns and will swallow any army!" No living war General would march an army into Switzerland as "Every able-bodied man between 18 and 55 is required to keep a fully automatic military rifle in his home and meet once a month with his local militia.  If he shows any mental problems during that time the gun is taken.  This would have prevented every one of our school and public place shootings while maintaining our militia.. In the 21st century every despot did two things:  (1) Disarmed his people, (2) killed all his enemies and (3) crushed his people with force as they were defenseless.  It has happened 39 times since World War II and is still happening today thanks to the likes of  U.S. District Court Judge William Young who ironically was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. In all our recent school and nightclub massacres the killers could have murdered more people with a Machette as the gun is not the problem.  Mental health and hamstrung law enforcers are the problem.  "Gun Free Zone" signs do not work.  Armed teachers and nightclub staff do solve the problem as no angry insane person wants to die.  They all think they will get away with it when they see "Gun Free Zone" signs in upside down America when the idiots are in charge. Adrian Vance