Burlington Free Press: Constitutions protect right to bear arms
Date: Mar 14, 2007 11:40 AM
Constitutions protect right to bear arms

The letter, “Gun ownership is a privilege,” (Mar. 5) espouses the “states rights” interpretation of the Second Amendment which is now deprecated by constitutional scholars. Rather than rehash those arguments which are too lengthy for a letter, let me quote from some contemporaneous state constitutions that express the principle straightforwardly:

Vermont (1791): “That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State.”

Pennsylvania (1776): “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.”

Delaware (1787): “A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and State, and for hunting and recreational use.”

Connecticut (1788): “Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.”

New Hampshire (1788): “All persons have the right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their families, their property and the state.”

Rhode Island (1790): “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Ohio (1851): “The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security; but standing armies, in time of peace, are dangerous to liberty, and shall not be kept up; and the military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.”

The primary purpose of the right to keep and bear arms is for individual self-defense, and it is so enshrined in many state constitutions in addition to our U.S. Constitution.
RICHARD GUYETTE
Montpelier

The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !