Quote from smilingsynic:
Um, sir, the Declaration of Independence is not the same thing as the Constitution.
Jefferson outlined the rationale for forming a
new government. King george could have said,
"You know what? you guys are right. I've been a real pain in the ass, and its about damn time we have a much better set of rules to run this show." Instead, the response from the British Throne was musket fire.
As a result, the framers of the constituion (after learning the lesson that governments often fail to respond to logic but often
do respond to force) added the phrase,
"the right of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed."
Quote from smilingsynic:
You see, Jefferson was writing against Great Britain, the mother country, whereas the Constitution was for the new country, the United States of America.
Your argument seems to indicate that rights not
explicitly outlined within the constitution do not exist. Perhaps, you can point to where in the U.S. Consitution the framers outlined the 'right to privacy.' The word "privacy" does not ever appear in the United States Constitution, yet clearly, SCOTUS indicated in Roe v Wade "a right of personal privacy, or a guarantee of certain areas or zones of privacy" does exist.
The U.S. Government derives its powers at the
consent of the governed. Our current leadership in Washington would do well to remember that.
- Spydertrader