Nixon Appointee Claims NRA Fraud

[deezguy]

I am not a fan of Dick Nixon. Not only was he accused of being a crook, he was proven to be one. I have to give him credit for ping-pong. Without his move to bring the U.S. and China together through table tennis, the state of our hobby may be quite different.
Nixon also appointed conservative Warren Burger to the Supreme Court. Former Chief Justice Warren Burger had an interesting opinion on the Second Amendment. The idea that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of an individual to own a gun is a "fraud" according to the late Supreme Court Justice.
The Second Amendment "has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud,' on the American public," Burger said in a 1991 interview on PBS's "MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour." Burger has said often that the "right to bear arms" belongs to the states, and he has attacked the NRA for fostering the opposite view. An interesting P.O.V. from a sensible conservative.

[alanthick]

An interesting P.O.V. from a sensible conservative.[/quote]

Hey Deez, I have argued for a number of years that the 2nd Amendment is a moot point today.

I think the "states" argument that Burger is referring to is about the "militia" issue, which is about as convoluted and confusing an issue as can be. WTF does militia actually mean?

My argument about the 2nd amendment being moot is that it is not about you or me protecting ourselves from armed intruders; it is about you and me protecting ourselves from a rouge government. Was George Washington concerned about dropping some fool that was trying to break into his house?

That "protect your family" thing is a dead horse that you can beat all you want. You and I will never be able to defend ourselves from a rouge or imperial government.

Don't misread me. I fist pump when the sideways cap black dude and pretty young thing talk about being America's Safest Place, but that is not what the 2nd Amendment is about.

The term "Militia" is interesting because it has apparently been used by both the government and "the people" to justify a certain end.

I think that it's clear that initially, the Militia was a quasi-government idea that supported the government. In other words, because the government was not large enough to fight against anti-government forces within and without the union, it was necessary to employ or recruit "able bodied men" to support (now that women, Tboys, and Tgirls are eligible, which I applaud, I use “men” in italics – lock and load).

Today, the government is large enough to fight against anti-government forces within (and without) the union: But we have also seen the rise of anti-government forces within the union that claim to be those "Militias". That's not necessarily a bad thing; but the idea of Militias as overseeing justice is just as naive as thinking the 2nd Amendment is about you and I protecting ourselves and family from thugs or thieves.

But then again, I could be wrong....

[Libertine]

Originally Posted by alanthick

Hey Deez, I have argued for a number of years that the 2nd Amendment is a moot point today.

nothing is ever going to change. single issue gun rights voters will never allow it.


while holding up a flintlock long rifle at the NRA convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2000, actor and president of the NRA, Charlton Heston ended his speech by saying;

"I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands."


"For the next six months, Al Gore is going to smear you as the enemy. He will slander you as gun-toting, knuckle-dragging, bloodthirsty maniacs who stand in the way of a safer America. Will you remain silent? I will not remain silent. If we are going to stop this, then it is vital to every law-abiding gun owner in America to register to vote and show up at the polls on Election Day. As we set out this year to defeat the divisive forces that would take freedom away, I want to say those fighting words for everyone within the sound of my voice to hear and to heed, and especially for you, Mr. Gore."

~ Charlton Heston, NRA president, May 20, 2000

"From my cold, dead hands."