“What the gun dudes need to understand is very simple. The Constitutional Amendment that addresses the “right” to bear arms is being twisted by the gun manufacturers, for their own $ gain. The “Framers” of the document’s intention was against foriegn invaders.  Not each other. . . .”

Almost but not quite.  In fact, the Founders and Framers often made clear their feare of a standing army.  Their alternative was well regulated militia—and well regulated was clearly intended and enacted.  The phrase often used: “The military power is always to be in exact subordination to the Civil Power.” The purpose of the militia was never to “defend against” the gov’t but exactly opposite: read the militia clause in any state constitution and you’ll find that the commander-in-chief of the state’s militia is the governor.  Is the governor going to “defend against” the gov’t of which he is at the same time the head?  Do I have to answer that question?

First: the Framers stipulated the purposes of the militia in the Constitution itself: Art I., Sec. 8., Cl. 15: [Congress shall have Power] To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.  And immediately following (Cl. 16) are the means by which Congress would ensure the militia remained “in exact subordination to the Civil Power”.

Next, that so few know: the first Congress under the new Constitution debated and framed that which is called “Bill of Rights,” which was introduced as a resolution by James Madison.  (Other details thereof are crucial, but I’ll keep this to the essentials.) His version of that which would become the Second Amendment read:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed, 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.”

As is obvious to the honest reader, that clearly means: that the only topic and scope of that which became the Second Amendment is well organized militia, a fact underscored by the final clause, which would establish as individual right that we call “conscientious objection”.

Through debate—in both houses of Congress—that evolved through several formulations.  This is a later (terms in brackets my emphases]:

{6} “A well regulated militia [not individual], composed of the body of the people [plural], being the best security of a free State [gov’t, not “area of land"], the right of the people [plural] to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, but no person [individual] religiously scrupulous shall be compelled [involuntary] to bear arms.”

Obviously the last phrase—“no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms”—would be an individual right—the only individual right debated as concerns this Amendment—to NOT bear arms.  However, as that posited “right” was voted down, the Second Amendment has nothing whatever to do with individual anything.  Therefore, obviously, there is no Federal bar to regulation in that area.

As the fact that the Bill of Rights was actually debated and framed, and submitted to the states for ratification, by Congress is so little known, I recommend all citizens—especially those who have swallowed or been hoodwinked by the NRA’s lie against those facts—read those debates, which are in print, and readily available from such as Amazon, and the source from which come the above (at 12, 30): _Creating the Bill of Rights: The Documentary Record from the First Federal Congress_ (Johns Hopkins, 1991), Ed. by Helen E. Veit, et al.

You know what I absolutely LOVE about our country and the way we report news (even extremely disheartening news like this)? The slant. What happened here is beyond mere words. But our vaunted media focuses on tighter security measures. Symtom or cause? Greater security only addresses the symtom. The cause is obvious, at least to thinking people. It’s very basic and, therefore, simple to understand. And if we really want to avoid a reoccurrence of this trajedy, we have to effectively address, and eliminate, the cause.
It’s pretty simple....GUNS !!! We have to start to mobilize the voting/caring/thoughtful public to get the weaponry out of the population. I read that a gun control conversation will not be on the future agenda’s of the competing parties for control of our government. That’s disgusting. The “cause” here is like so many other “problems” in our system. Money. Or more precisely in this situation, the money of just another PAC (a.k.a. influence-peddling group of lobbiests). Folks,I bring you the NRA. Ever wonder where they get their power? Ever think about the profit margins involved,for a start? Ever wonder about the cost of mass producing a handgun vs.what the cost is to buy one? Try this scenario on for size. I think the cost-of-manufacture is somewhere in the $50/per range. I KNOW that $500 retail is about average. Nice profit, huh? What is it, 1,000%?If you were making ~1,000%/per gun profit, you’d be in a “maintain the status quo” frame of mind. Right? Now, take ceramic guns (i.e.Glocks). Reason for being non-metallic? Lighter? Shoots straighter? Yeah, right. Try undetectible by metal-detection devices. Bingo! The NRA PAC doesn’t only financially support elected officials in their campaigns, they threaten to mobilize their considerable forces (mostly red necks and para-military types) against election, or re-election of those who might want to address gun control. Without our becoming involved, it continues to allow more and more weaponry into our society.
What the gun dudes need to understand is very simple. The Constitutional Amendment that addresses the “right” to bear arms is being twisted by the gun manufacturers, for their own $ gain. The “Framers” of the document’s intention was against foriegn invaders.  Not each other. If we continue to allow the NRA’s influence to stifle the necesary objections, we have no hope to reduce/eliminate this absurd situation. As always,.....just my opinion.

It’ll take about a month for the Virginia Tech campus to be enclosed by concrete and concertina wire, with riot police surrounding the perimeter, and all the students kept on full lockdown, 365/24/7.

And maybe someday they’ll find the horse that escaped, roaming the Shenandoah valley.