School Shooting Newtown CT

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by Jeff OTMG

I don't need hunting rifles. I rarely shoot a rifle. I don't hunt. I can go to a store if I need food. When I do shoot a rifle it is an MSR, Modern Sporting Rifle. Some call it an assault rifle, even if it isn't. They are popular for hunting. Down in Texas an MSR in .458 SOCOM or .500 Beowolf is the popular choice for hunting deadly wild hogs.

FYP. I actually know people who are poor enough that if they want to eat meat, they have to put it on the table themselves. Yes the start-up cost is more, buying the weapon especially, but once you do, it's cheaper on a pound for pound basis to eat game, especially if you do your own butchering. Granted these type of people aren't the norm, and most people who hunt do it purely for sport. But sustenance hunting is not yet completely gone in the US, especially in Rural areas.

Originally Posted by Jeff OTMG

I don't carry to feel like a badass. I carry to feel safe. I have found myself in bad situations. I grew up differently. I was a target at age five and grew up having to be careful so was trained in firearms use beginning at age six.

I do not know your situation so I won't comment on it specifically, but many people who carry a firearm for defense have no substantial chance that they will be in a life or death situation that requires a firearm.

Originally Posted by Jeff OTMG

The right to bear arms is not over stated. There are very specific reasons why the Second Amendment was written and fireamrs like the military uses are actually the specific firearms intended to be protected.
In U.S. v. Miller (1939), the Supreme Court stated that, "The Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense . . . [and that] when called for service, these men were expected to appear bearing arms supplied by themselves and of the kind in common use at the time."

And here is where things get tricky. First off, the Bill of Rights was written to restrict the power of the federal government, not the state governments. Second it is argueable that the right to keep and bear arms is restricted to what is need to maintain a militia. Discussion of the Second Amendment is difficult because a militia in the sense that it existed in the several states before federation does not exist any more. Keeping that in mind, there have been legal opinions issued stating that the right to keep and bear arms only applies to military duties as part of the militia.