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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: Personal Defense, rebuttals
Message-ID: <5299@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 9-May-85 04:24:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.5299
Posted: Thu May  9 04:24:13 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 12-May-85 01:29:17 EDT
References: <395@ttidcc.UUCP>
Reply-To: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (Peter Reiher)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
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Xref: linus net.flame:8944 net.politics:8307

The periodic debate on what the second amendment really means and what our
founding father's intentions in the matter of the right to bear arms really
were seems to have returned a little early, or maybe it just feels that way.
If we really must hash it out again, let's not resort to "*That's* not what
our founders intended!"  without some evidence.  If you must claim that you
have insights into what the authors and ratifiers of the Bill of Rights
intended, please supply either quotes or references.  Primary sources are,
of course, preferable.  Scholarly treatments are a poor second choice.
Research sponsored by either pro- or anti- gun control groups isn't suitable.
A good starting point might be to trudge through the portion of the Federalist
Papers dealing with the militia.  Then you'll know what Hamilton thought.
A suitable reference on Jefferson's opinion would be nice, too.  If Washington
or John Adams had anything to say about the matter, that would be interesting.
Franklin, Madison, Jay, Burr, etc. would also be good people to hear about.
I'm getting rather tired of the "Founding Father" abstraction.  Let's try to
make it concrete.  It still won't change anyone's minds, but at least we all
might learn something.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher