2A contemporary definitions

[bnsaibum]

I am sure we all agree that when we read the 2nd Amendment and see the words "well regulated" we understand that they apply to the militia and mean well trained and/or well equipped. Did you also know that at the time regulate could also mean something akin to regulations or laws. Some might find it useful to have a period dictionary to look up the words and here is a link that has several. I find it is helpful to also look up the other words that are used in the definitions. What is interesting is that my 2001 Websters has almost the exact same definitions as the 2A contemporary dictionaries. The online modern dictionaries are the same. I can't really understand why those who insist that "well regulated" means many laws and applies to the Right of the people, but only if you are in the militia (military). Perhaps they suffer from some sort of <broken link removed> .

Early Modern English Dictionary (16-18th century) - LEXILOGOS >>
http://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/?page_id=7070&i=1667

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[gaijinsamurai]

Agree. I often find myself having to point out the meaning if the term "regulated" when the Constitution was written, to some self-righteous hypocrite who thinks the 2A was written to give power to the State over the people. That's just another reason why gun control advocates are idiots.
Thank you for sharing this!

 

[U201491]

The Militia is the Citizens, NOT the State or Federal gov.
It is and was we the people.
It cannot be said much simpler than that.

 

[timac]

I feel the key word is, "Infringe".

 

[simon99]

I am a militia of one....

 

[bnsaibum]

The Militia is the Citizens, NOT the State or Federal gov.
It is and was we the people.
It cannot be said much simpler than that.

I agree. To be clear, I was saying that many of the prohibitionists conflate the citizen militia with the military.

Agree. I often find myself having to point out the meaning if the term "regulated" when the Constitution was written, to some self-righteous hypocrite who thinks the 2A was written to give power to the State over the people. That's just another reason why gun control advocates are idiots.
Thank you for sharing this!

It must be made clear to them that the Constitution restricts the government in how it deals with the citizens and it is the citizens that are the source of any governmental power, NOT the other way around.


It is also interesting to consider that many of the prohibitionists seem to lack basic 3rd grade grammar skills. The 2nd Amendment is a complex sentence and there are many examples of the study of the grammatical structure and meaning of the 2nd Amendment on the internet. The Heller v. D.C. decision shows a good example of its analysis. I'm not sure if it is taught anymore, but I remember absolutely HATING to do sentence diagrams. Google has quite a lot of information on 2A sentence diagram and grammar available.

I also added another dictionary resource that is a little easier to navigate.