"Slavery was Legal when 2nd Amendment Was Written"

I heard this last night from someone I know quite well. I will give you a bit of background since it may help with your putting it into context.

I overheard someone saying "Slavery was legal back when the 2nd Amendment was written and we did away with that!" I did not want to stir up a hornets nest in the room, since it was a group gathering for a book club and 90% of the individuals there were teachers (the individual who mentioned slavery was the only individual who was not a teacher or administrator at a public school).

However, the discussion was overwhelmingly the same talking points we've been hearing lately: assault weapons should be illegal, there's no reason we should have access to them as citizens, magazines should hold less ammunition, and on and on and on.

I honestly can't even put my words together to try to articulate the thoughts that I have after hearing this conversation.

Not one individual in the room brought up the premise of governments abusing their powers or having much larger and more dangerous weapons than the public. Everyone seemed 100% laser-focused on what happened in the school recently, and didn't even give it a 2nd thought when it came to governments turning against their own citizens (which we have seen here in America as well).

The innocent people who lost their lives deserve some sort of action to be taken to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. I do think there have been productive discussions about possible solutions or ways to minimize these types of events, however during the conversation I overheard, a crucial piece was missing: why is everyone ready to take away freedoms of the public without limiting the power of the government?

The NSA's illegal spying programs, NDAA justifying indefinite detention of American citizens, the government allowing the "Bail-In" provisions to be written into Dodd-Frank, and many, many, many other examples. However, the knee-jerk reaction and emotional response after a shooting like the one recently is focused almost entirely on limiting citizens freedoms without taking a look at the very powers that should have lost the trust of the public and who should also be scrutinized.

Perhaps this should have been in the rant forum, and I'm sure this thread will draw comments for and against both sides, and probably attacking the OP as well but I thought it was worth sharing. Take that as you will and I welcome comments and insights from fellow ATS members. Thank you.

Congress demolished these racist laws. The Freedmen’s Bureau Bill of 1865, Civil Rights Act of 1866, and Civil Rights Act of 1870 each guaranteed all persons equal rights of self-defense. Most importantly, the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, made the Second Amendment applicable to the states.

The Racist Origins of Gun Control

For those that have been paying attention to the last 75 years.

Some people are more equal than others.

a reply to: FamCore

LOL,

"Slavery was legal back when the 1st Amendment was written and we did away with that!"

Slavery was legal back when the entire Constitution and Declaration of Independence was written and we did away with that!

a reply to: FamCore

To add... Which not many people bring up. Citizens having guns has also kept us safe from invasions.



Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."

"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."

"I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." [upon learning of the success of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor]

a reply to: FamCore

I don't think the constitution said that slavery was legal or anyone had the right to own slaves.

So when the slaves were freed, nobody had their rights infringed apon.

a reply to: Bluntone22

So when the slaves were freed.

They turned around and slaughtered native americans, because they already denied them the right to self defense.

a reply to: neo96

Funny how that worked.
The ones that couldn't shoot back lost..
Go figure

Perhaps a more accurate phrasing would be "slavery was not illegal" then.

a reply to: FamCore

Tell the people, it helps more if you do it in your own vicinity. Some of your points are crucial, even though it may be embarrassing or awkward or may lead to a conversation you are uncomfortable with, telling people who you live around is much more efficient than just the computer. Next time tell them what you think, just don't be rude huh lol & listen to valid points

People don't seem to understand what the 2nd is.

It's a piece of the social contract which is a safeguard against authority taking more control than they are granted.

One safeguard is elections for the minor or directional authority issues. The other is an armed citizen group safeguarding the ease of authority becoming unilateral against the people's well being.

You can't just erase parts of the social contract. They can.be altered. But gun bans are not altering they are erasing.

An altering philosophically speaking would be creating regional militia (guard) like county sheriffs set up like the national guard say that are mandatory. Not part of the federal government, working with the state but even separate from the state somewhat.

Then you could have a debate about limiting the amount of stockpiled arms and ammo at home like the Swiss have.

You can't trade in that safeguard of tyranny it could possibly be altered but the purpose can't be erased.

The hypothetical change is just that. Don't skewer me,..Just trying to have a conversation.

originally posted by: FamCore
I heard this last night from someone I know quite well. I will give you a bit of background since it may help with your putting it into context.

I overheard someone saying "Slavery was legal back when the 2nd Amendment was written and we did away with that!"

Not exactly accurate in context with the comparison. Slavery was not illegal when the 2nd Amendment was written would be more accurate. The Constitution is actually a document of restrictions and regulations placed against the government. The 10th Amendment covered the "leaglity" of slavery... it hadn't been ruled illegal and, therefore, was a state's rights issue.

So since they believed in the two thirds aspect that means that most blacks were only two thirds slaves.

In other words one third of them have been free from the start?

Look i just saved one third of reparation monies and i own a gun

today is gonna be a good day

originally posted by: howtonhawky
Look i just saved one third of reparation monies

1/3rd of zero is zero.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

i will let obama know

originally posted by: FamCore

90% of the individuals there were teachers

And these are the people teaching our children. And this is why I no longer teach. I swear, they are bleeding hearts, and despite what others may say, they mean well. But the consequences of ignorance being passed on to children, even with the best of intentions, will reshape this country, and not in a good way.

did you intend to create a false equivalency for those easily manipulate by emotionally driven arguments with the thread?

I read your OP and had a hard time A following the flow of information and B seeing what the thread title had to do with whatever it was you were talking about in the rest of your OP

can you connect the dots?

a reply to: toysforadults

I apologize if it seemed difficult to understand.

I wrote this thread with a focus on comments I had heard from a group of individuals who are all teachers (except for one of them), and the thread title is a quote from that one person who is not a teacher, but whom shared a strong belief along with the others that firearm laws are incredibly loose and that us citizens shouldn't need access to certain types of guns that are currently legal, and shouldn't have magazines that hold "more" bullets (according to this group).

There was a lot of talk about how us citizens should not have as much freedom for firearm access, with zero mention of what access governments have to firepower, or even comments regarding how government can easily abuse their power.

Slavery was legal in SOME states..... not all of them...... little credit where credit is due

Can slavery even exist if we all had the right to guns and be able to defend ourselves?
Seems like a counter to wippings to me.
And the Irish were the first slaves. Where is the outrage for our persecution on these shores?
Ai, we got guns. Slaves we were, free we became

a reply to: FamCore

Goverments always need the best tech. to out-do their frienemies so as not to lose our democracy. Civilians are allowed better weaponry in the ol' days, well equal weaponry. Goverments wiped out other cultures back in the day because of thier advancment in technological warfare all over the world, it's nothin' new to happen to a governments citizenry, it's still the same kind of element, just this time with bigger & badder weapons. DAPL, we still don't give em slack lol