Dear Editor:

As a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, I’d like to make a few counterpoints re: the op/ed. piece published Thurs. Aug 18 2001 entitled Interpreting the Second Amendment.

http://www.miami.com/herald/content...gdocs/016496.ht

Mr. Russell claims: The Second Amendment doesn't address the right of individuals to keep and bear arms but the right to do so of the electors entering into the constitutional contract, The Second Amendment addresses the SAME “individuals” known as WE THE PEOPLE as does the first, fourth.

Like the First and Fourth Amendments, the Second Amendment protects the SAME rights of "the people," which the Supreme Court has noted is a term of art that should be interpreted consistently throughout the Bill of Rights United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez, 494 U.S. 259, 265 (1990) (plurality opinion). http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scrip...l=494&invol=259

And Russell goes on with: “who at the time were exclusively white, male property owners. Thankfully, the electorate has come to include many others, illustrating the folly of slavishly relying on the doctrine of original intent.”

So why do Mr. Russell and other anti freedom folks advocate gun control? Don ’t they know that gun control is racist? The first gun control laws in the US were enacted in order to keep the newly freed slaves from owning self-defense weapons.

http://www.blackmanwithagun.net/intro.htm

http://www.reedsway.com/roots.htm

As Mr. Russell stated, the original intent of the Second Amendment was to fight off tyranny. The Second Amendment IS our basic fundamental human RIGHT to defend our lives, property AND LIBERTY. The Second Amendment has NOTHING to do with duck hunting and “sports shooting”. It’s not about guns, it’s about FREEDOM! Our founding Fathers had just fought a war for freedom and wanted to make sure the newly freed country could remain free and the Second Amendment insured that. History is full of examples of tyrants who, before they could dictate, had to disarm the populace. THAT is what gun control is all about!

http://www.jpfo.com

Believing in the Second Amendment’s original intent does NOT condone what Timothy McVeigh did. What he did was cold-blooded murder! And WHY is Mr. Russell placing the Branch Davidians in with Timothy McVeigh? The Branch Davidians did not kill anyone? On the contrary, it was the ATF who went in and murdered innocent men, women and children; just as they did in Ruby Ridge.

Mr. Russell falsely claims: “The Amendment is silent on today's gun issues -- sport and personal protection -- although some drafts mention the latter. But the Second Amendment was written before the institution of police departments, the creation of which should have transferred the right to keep and bear arms to local police officers, thereby eliminating the need for citizens to do so for personal protection.

Anti Self defense folks, like Mr. Russell are DEAD wrong on this!

There are 28 court cases, all of which showing " the Police have no obligation to protect any individual person from harm "

• DeShaney v. Winnebago County Social Services (1989) 489 US 189
• Bower v. DeVito (1982) 686 F.2d 616
• Calgorides v. Mobile (1985) 475 So.2d 560
• Warren v. District of Columbia (1983) 444 A.2d 1
• Morgan v. District of Columbia (1983) 469 A.2d 1306
• Sapp v. Tallahassee (1977) 348 So.2d 363, cert.denied 354 So.2d 985
• Keane v. Chicago (1968) 98 Ill.App.2d 460, 240 N.E.2d 321
• Jamison v. Chicago (1977) 48 Ill.3d 567
• Simpson's Food Fair v. Evansville 272 N.E. 2d 871
• Silver v. Minneapolis (1969)) 170 N.W.2d 206
• Wuetrich v. Delia (1978) 155 N.J.Super. 324, 382 A.2d 929
• Chapman v. Philadelphia (1981) 290 Pa.Super. 324, 382 A.2d 753
• Morris v. Musser, (1984) 84 Pa.Cmwth. 170, 478 A.2d 937
• Weiner v. Metropolitan Authority, and Shernov v. New York Transit Authority (1982 55 N.Y.2d 175, 948 N.Y.S. 141

Your personal safety IS YOUR personal responsibility! Whether you choose to exercise that RIGHT is YOUR choice!

On another level, it is the attorney general's (and ALL American’s) DUTY to uphold the United States Constitution! Apparently the AG has read the Federalist Papers and KNOWS full well the intentions of our Founding Fathers.

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5072/qte.html

Mr.Russell, like so many other anti civil right folks, apparently has NOT!