Constitutional Amendment to Right to Bear Arms

[Joe Republic]

Surely this now goes beyond the concept of protecting your family and property?  How exactly does protecting the right to use fireworks and dynamite make the honest citizens safer?

[Joe Republic]

Each individual has the inherent Right of owning, using, and carrying firearms, or arms of any other description that are capable of killing less than 100 people at one time with one instantaneous initiation of that weapon. Any weapon more effective than that is not permitted to be in the possession of any individual under this constitution.

That's a pretty unpleasant sentence to put in our federal constitution.

[Joe Republic]

Sam, I objected to having the word "killing" in our federal constitution more than anything else.

Anyway, can somebody please tell me what kind of self-defense tactic involves the simultaneous murder of 99 people?  If there is an answer to that, can you also tell me why it needs defining in our constitution?

[Joe Republic]

I'm not entirely convinced that giving people the right to own any kind of explosives is a good idea, considering the existence of any hidden terrorist cells resident in Atlasia.

[Joe Republic]

That's true, but to me this amendment only makes things worse for them.

BTW, I'm thinking more along the lines of a Tim McVeigh style terrorist more than any hidden al-Qaeda cells, as they're a heck of a lot harder to spot as being a terrorist, and a lot more likely to own a personal arsenal without having been asked a lot of questions first.

[Joe Republic]

My point was mainly that by allowing everybody the right to own mortars and grenades and whatnot, we're also allowing psychos to do the same.  As far as the constitutional amendment goes, fine.  But I would expect some pretty restrictive legislation to go with it, in order to prevent this.

[Joe Republic]

Unless anybody particularly objects, I plan to post one voting thread for this amendment and the federal marriage amendment too, provided the latter passes.  No use in separate threads cluttering the board.