A recent Viewpoints letter asks the question: Why should citizens be allowed to own an assault weapon?
The final paragraph says, “When the Constitution was written, there were no assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Change happens and common sense should kick in.”
People who are versed in the Constitution will tell you the purpose of the Second Amendment was to protect the citizens from a tyrannical government. An annotation taken from an article available from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs states: “The primary purpose of the Second Amendment is to ensure that should a tyrannical power overtake the nation, Americans will be able to defend themselves; because this danger always exists, gun control should be prohibited.”
The weaponry that existed when the Constitution was written was advanced from weapons of times past, e.g. clubs, spears, and bows and arrows, to name a few.
Since the framers of the Constitution were forward-thinkers, they no doubt knew weaponry would always be advancing, and if Americans had to defend their country in the future against a tyrannical adversary from outside its borders or within, they must possess fire power to match, without limitations.
This is one reason why Americans have remained free to this day; to think otherwise is naive.
Tris Tristram
Newton