Among the many falsehoods promulgated by the National Rifle Association is a gross misrepresentation of the historical purpose of the Second Amendment.
This amendment reads, in part, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state ..." why does the amendment specify "a state?"
Why not "a nation" or "the United States," as in all other parts of the Constitution?
Had Virginia invaded North Carolina? Was Maryland threatening war with Delaware?
No, of course not. The states in question were individual states and, in particular, were slave-owning states.
The threat addressed by the amendment is not hostility from a neighboring state, but a slave rebellion within the state. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to preserve slavery. Try learning that from Wayne LaPierre.
Those who wish to pursue this topic further will find an excellent historical discussion by Thom Hartmann for Truthout at http://tinyurl.com/aw3ctqr.
EDWARD A. FAGEN
Albany