The Second Amendment, inspired by the Revolutionary War, was intended to protect our nation from outside attack. With no national military, an armed citizenry was our only defense. At the time it was written, the only weapons were single-shot muskets. The 14th Amendment, inspired by the Civil War, meant to protect our nation against attack from within, to prevent insurrectionists from gaining political power.
Today, our armed forces include the Navy, Army, Marines and National Guard — providing the “well-regulated militia” the Second Amendment addressed. We no longer need a rifle on every civilian doorstep.
Conversely, during the infamous Jan. 6 incident, we witnessed a nearly successful attempt to subvert our electoral process, the exact type of attack for which the 14th Amendment was written. Clearly, we still need protection from such a threat.
So why do right-wing extremists insist the Second Amendment is sacred, somehow applying to modern weapons of war, yet the 14th Amendment should be considered invalid because it would disqualify from the presidency an individual they still bow to, despite his blatant attempt to overturn the results of our most important election?
The selective reasoning of the far right is dumbfounding. Or just plain dumb.
