What I Am Thankful For – November 17th

Over the past few weeks I've been taking an inventory of things that I am thankful for. Today, I am thankful for...

...the 2nd Amendment.

No other country on the planet has something so simple yet so profound in it's Constitution. It is the right for a citizen to own a firearm.

Amendment II

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.

Some have argued that it's just the militia that can have weapons and that an individual's right to bear arms is not protected. However, Supreme Court decisions have affirmed the individual citizen the right to keep and bear arms.

Why am I thankful for a few words in a document over 200 years old? Simple, with out the 2nd Amendment, we would not have ANY of the freedoms outlined in the Constitution. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to worship as you wish without government interference...all these and more are protected by the individual's right to keep and bear arms.

Throughout history, when a people have given up this right, genocide followed...for without the check of an armed citizenry, governments grew tyrannical and killed those it deemed dangerous. That is the main reason for the 2nd Amendment, to hit the 'reset' button on our government if it became dangerous to it's own citizens.

When some argue that it's about hunting or sporting purposes, they are only trying to limit the reasons for the 2nd. Now look at your freedoms from the point of being able to defend yourselves from criminals who don't follow laws, or a tyrannical government, magazine capacities and 'assault weapon' bans look foolish and dangerous.

There are many more points that I could make that would affirm that the 2nd is the most important Amendment, but the fact that you are able to read this post without fear of someone kicking in our doors because they disagree with our freedoms should be proof enough.

Today, I am thankful for the 2nd Amendment.