The Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights makes interesting reading. This is the bit that the gun lobby in the USA use to defend the fact that everyone should be allowed to wander around with guns, everyone has the right to bear arms. But let us look at the entire piece:
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.
Hmm. So it doesn't just say the right of people to bear arms should not be infringed. No. It says a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state. Is it possible that this was written in another day and age? A time when things were different? Is it actually saying that the people need to be able to defend themselves against a tyranical state? This was written at the time of great upheaval and the emergence of the union. The people had fought to achieve what they had and the amendment was there to ensure that this would not be lost.
I think that the second amendment does not give all civilians the right to bear arms. The amendment describes why it has been added (being necessary to the security of a free state, not for individual security) and it says who (a well regulated militia). There is an answer to all those who wish to bear arms however. They can fulfil the 2nd in its entirity. Your country has an emergency at the moment. It is called Iraq. Anyone who thinks that they have a right to bear arms should go straight down to the recruiting office, you can tell them you are bringing your own gun, and get shipped out to Iraq to become a well regulated militia.
Hmm, you don't want to go? Thought not.
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