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SECOND AMENDMENT
Unique among republics, the United States possesses a constitution which minimizes governmental restrictions on our personal choices to pursue happiness. Our freedom as American citizens derives not from our government, but rather from the fact that we are sentient beings possessing natural, inalienable rights, bestowed by our Creator. Such rights are beyond the authority of any government or international body to dismiss. The constitutional Bill of Rights does not extend or grant specific liberties to the American people. On the contrary, it serves to preserve and guarantee innate individual rights by imposing specific restraints on government intended to circumvent any interference with some of our most fundamental, inherent and cherished human freedoms. The most important freedom, which guarantees and perpetuates the existence of all others, is the right to own and use firearms in the defense of one's life and liberty. The federal government has not infringed upon the right of any mentally competent, law abiding American citizen to own a handgun, be it revolver or autoloader. Some local jurisdictions have, notably Washington D.C. and Chicago, Illinois. On June 26, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a watershed pro-gun decision in "District of Columbia v. Heller". The high court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm and to use it for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self defense within the home. The right is unconnected with service in a militia. The affirmation that the Second Amendment protects an individual right is important because the gun grabbers have always sought to interpret it as a collective militia right only. In "Heller", the high court recognized that individual self defense is the central component of the Second Amendment right, confirming an understanding that has always been deeply rooted in the nation's history and traditions. The high court also found that handguns as a class of firearms cannot be outlawed because they are the firearm of choice in the protection of one's home and family. The high court perception in these matters destroys the argument that firearms are only for hunting or sporting purposes, and that only the firearms types associated with these activities should be allowed. The "Heller" decision was limited only to federal enclaves within the states, such as the District of Columbia and public lands, and did not apply in scope to local governments or to the states themselves. The Supreme Court interpretation of the Second Amendment in "Heller" was applied to all the states and to all political jurisdictions within the states in "McDonald v. City of Chicago". This case was decided on June 28, 2010. History demonstrates that dictatorships and totalitarian governments can only exist in the presence of a population that has been disarmed. The Armory exists as a technical and political forum where American citizens may learn to appreciate their inherent right to exercise the choice of self defense, personal protection and maintenance of individual and collective liberty as recognized and guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. T his domain is protected by the First Amendment, which ensures the unfettered right to free and open speech.
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