Let's Really Adhere to the 2nd Amendment Then

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.

There it is. That Second Amendment to the US Constitution. The one that so many of my friends believe will soon be just a memory. The same amendment those same friends believe should be held up to the letter.

I have only two things to say about the 2nd amendment:

1. It's not going away. To amend the Constitution you must get a bill through Congress and then have it ratified by 38 of the 50 states. That just will not happen in our lifetime.

2. It's already NOT being followed by law. No really. Our "militia" - the people who buy and own guns because of this Constitutionally guaranteed right - are NOT well regulated as required by the Constitution.

Let me prove my point. These are true stories, I am not making them up.

Exhibit 1: A year or so ago a friend won a hunting rifle in a charity raffle. She bought a raffle ticket at a bar where the charity event was being held. They drew her ticket number. She walked out of a bar with a rifle. That was it. She was a gun owner. There was no background check, no waiting period, no concern as to whether she was mentally unstable or a felon or anything. I have no idea how much she had to drink. Not much, knowing her, but what if the winner had been fall down drunk?

Exhibit 2: Back in 2008 a car dealership a few miles from my hometown offered a semi automatic weapon with purchase. And yes, I did know someone who went up and bought a truck and drove away with a gun in the seat beside him in that new vehicle. General manager Walter Moore said that so far, most buyers have chosen the gun, adding that he suggests they opt for a semiautomatic model "because it holds more rounds."

Exhibit 3: I have a photo of me holding a friend's son's AK 47. She might be upset if I posted it here, so I won't. She bought it for her under aged son at a gun show. He was too young to purchase it but since he wanted it and his dad didn't object...it's in her name but they used the kid's money. They do not keep ammo for it and they keep it locked in a gun safe in their home. But they bought it and walked out of a gun show with it that same day. An AK 47!

Exhibit 4: There is a 9mm handgun in my home that was bought in a private sale from a friend of a friend at work. I know nothing about that gun except it works and I got a good deal. While I'm pretty sure it's never been used in a crime I couldn't swear to it as I really don't know the friend of the friend. No paper work was filed, I brought it home with me the same afternoon I met with the friend of the friend, no background check was done, no history of the gun was investigated. I have no idea who may have owned the gun before the friend of the friend. Good thing I wasn't buying it to shoot an abusive husband or irritating boss. But then how would the seller have known what I wanted it for or what kind of person I was.

So do not preach to me the Second Amendment. Do not tell me a few regulations to make sure the true meaning of the Second Amendment is followed is infringing on your right to own a gun. No one is stopping you from owning a gun. There are those of us that would like to have a little more of the "well regulated" directive of the amendment considered. The "not be infringed" part isn't going anywhere. If you are "infringed" by making sure the second amendment is followed as written in the Constitution then you are disqualified from pushing the second amendment in my face every time you feel the gov'mint is coming for your guns. You already don't follow the written intent of the law and are more likely the reason we need to have some regulation.

The best comparison argument I have heard so far involves the state laws and certifications for driving. We regulate if you drive you have a license, we regulate you had to pass a proficiency test to get that license, some states regulate you have to take a drivers' ed class to get take the test or get a permit, we regulate you have to be a certain age to get that license, we regulate you have to be able to read and understand the traffic signs on the road, that your car is safe to be on the road with annual inspections, we regulate you have insurance on it in case you hurt someone or damage their property, we take away your right to drive if you cannot be safe, break too many traffic laws, can't see and you have to guarantee you can properly take care of your car and keep insurance on it.

If you trade or sell that vehicle you have to transfer the title to the new owner so that there is a record of ownership filed somewhere. Heck you even have to tell whether that car has been in n accident. You can't file off the VIN number or roll back the mileage. You can get a ticket for not having back up lights or driving too fast. There are regulations we live by because we want to be safe on the roads.

Would you disagree these are good ideas for automobiles and drivers? And wouldn't you agree we can do, at the very least, something similar with the 3 million plus guns we have in this country? Or should we just accept it's okay to partially follow the Constitution and not "well regulate" something a bit more deadly than your new Ford Explorer.

Unless your new car has your free gun with purchase sitting there on the seat next to you.