Letters

It’s troubling that so many who cite the Constitution of the United States of America in defense of their gun rights haven’t read it.

Amendment 2, just 27 words and adopted in 1791 in the wake of the Revolutionary War, says nothing about individuals having the right to own and carry guns. To wit: “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” (Note the passive sentence construction that argues the negative.)

That opening phrase, “A well regulated Militia,” on which the clause to follow depends, gets lost in references, and its plural noun “people” somehow gets translated to individuals, who would have had to be citizens, in any case, in the late 18th century.

Especially for those who support “originalist” interpretations of the Constitution, the failure to cite and define “Militia” as a “necessary” force designated and invoked by a “state” in order to protect “security” (in the event that Congress might overreach) says a lot about the ease with which so-called historical facts are adduced to address contemporary fears — a failure, certainly, of education.

Since the adoption of the Second Amendment, two critical (and comparatively recent) 5-4 Supreme Court rulings have advanced interpretations that reflect the extent to which race and culture affect the amendment, but even Justice Antonin Scalia, who argued in favor of an individual’s right to possess a firearm, referenced traditionally lawful purposes, such as “self-defense within the home” (italics mine).

The Second Amendment has a complicated and complex political and judicial history that belongs in the classroom. It is doubtful, however, in a country where textbooks, course content and testing vary so much, that close reading and critical discussion of the Constitution will inform curricula, let alone become part of a consistent national effort to educate the nation’s prospective teachers.

It’s not too late, however, for individual parents, caregivers, local politicians and taxpaying citizens everywhere to demand better of their schools and ensure that the heart of Western civilization, which is open debate and democracy, beats strong against all those who would administer their own form of bypass surgery.

Joan Baum

Springs