The NRA and here we go again

For those of you who don't know, the 2nd Amendment went through a number of drafts before the rather twisted amendment was agreed upon. Somehow the right wing in our country has perverted the evolution of the amendment/amending sequence to an individual's right to own guns, buy guys, keep guns, strap guns to their hips and go see the President of the United States and recently visit a movie theater.

If are living in Colorado there is a time in your not too distant future when you will go shopping on  a Friday night and you will be treated to the spectacle of 18 year olds packing concealed and loaded handguns with NO NEED for any registration. Perhaps if there were a data base, some loony couldn't acquire 5 guns and some TNT.  They can't drink but by God they can shoot. A couple years ago The NYTimes of course ran a hand wringing editorial about it which will do no good because those who worship at the shrine of the misunderstood 2nd amendment don't read the Times and if they hear about it poo-poo it as being too liberal and therefore not to be believed.

We've been treated to any number of pundits pointing out that if a few folks in the theater were "packing" weapons they could have fired back in some sort of perverse Lone Ranger style - nothing like a gun fight in a crowded theater.  This argument is without merit as there is no reliable data past NRA opinion that having a gun protects you from someone nuts who just want to shoot and kill.  I can see the home breakin in the middle of the night but I can't and won't concede the let's take a gun to the theater mentality. Nor should you.

For your reading pleasure, here are the three drafts to the 2nd Amendment that were written prior to the final. After reading them, let me know if you don't think this entire debate is entirely off track.

I. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person

II. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms.

III. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.

There you go gun-rights honchos. Now explain that away when you apply your strict construction theories.