Making Sense of the Gun Control Debate 13 don't count. "A well
regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free
state..." Those opening words of the Second Amendment are
completely ignored by the NRA and largely ignored by the Supreme
Court. 14 words, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms
shall not be infringed,” count and those 14 words kill tens of
thousands of people every year. From 1776 to 1783 the
Continental Army, a ragtag citizens’ army of 17,000, fought our
Revolutionary War. The army was rounded up by the Paul Reveres
who rode through towns marshalling the forces. Citizens arose
from their beds, grabbed their guns – because the army didn’t
own any – and went to war. When the war ended in 1783, the
Continental Congress did not want a permanent army like the
British had, so it was disbanded. Soldiers went home with their
guns. Eight years later, when the Second Amendment was passed,
an army of private citizens on call was the only military.
Hence, the first 13 words. Some argue th