The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “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.”
No less an authority than Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has proposed repeal of the Second Amendment.
This is a fool’s errand — partly because the Bill of Rights (including the Second Amendment) is regarded as sacred, but even more because the NRA has the Republican Party by the throat.
Instead I suggest adding a new amendment to the Constitution to clarify the meaning intended by the framers:
“The right of a well regulated militia to keep and bear arms, being necessary to the security of a free State, shall not be infringed.”
Even this modest change is a long shot. A more fruitful path is not a new amendment but a new Supreme Court. Voters need to understand that a Republican president can be expected to appoint ideologues who pledge fealty to the NRA. Expecting a different outcome is nonsense.
Stephen Jordan
Oak Park
