Second Amendment Sisters, Inc.

A common error in Constitutional interpretation is the failure to examine the document in the context of its original meaning.  In fact, Thomas Jefferson once wrote to Supreme Court Justice William Johnson, suggesting to him that when examining and interpreting the Constitution, he should study the time in which the document was written, and “carry himself back to that time.”

This would seem to be good advice for today. The recent Heller vs. DC case might have gotten more votes in favor of Heller had the Supreme Court of today done just that.

We certainly know that during the time of the writing of the Constitution, every male citizen above the age of 16 was counted as a member of the militia.  All males were assumed to own weapons (which most of them paid for), and be ready to muster when the call came.  Of course, the first call for the militia was to fight the British in what has become known as the American Revolution.

Today, as during the early days of this country, the people are still the militia, in the usage of the word at the time of our founding.   The actual purpose of having armed citizens was to guard against an overbearing government.   In the inimitable words of our National Spokesperson, Suzanna Gratia-Hupp, when speaking to Senator Schumer and other members of a Senate committee: “The purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect all of us (the people) from all of you (the politicians).”

We now live in a country that has been promised “Hope and Change” by our new president.  Since we have no details of what “hope” and what “change” he was speaking about during the election, the Second Amendment is more important than ever.  We must be ever more alert to signs of any government entity trying to erode the God-given and constitutionally enumerated right to keep and bear arms and all other constitutionally guaranteed rights.

Mari Thompson is President of SAS, and is also one of its founding members.