CHILDREN AND GUNS
No accidental death of a child  is acceptable; but look at the Accidental Death Rates for 1995: (Ages 0-14), cause: motor-vehicle 3,059; drowning 1,060; fires/burns 833; suffocation 459; choking 213; Firearms 181. National Safety Council,  Accident Facts: 1998 Edition
Myth:  One child is accidentally killed by a gun every day.  To reach this figure, anti-gun authors must include children aged 18-24. - Dr. Gary Kleck, Point Blank.
When a naked Jonathan Bruce, armed with a pitchfork, broke into the Carpenter family home, 14 year old Jessica ran to the gun cabinet.  Although trained in handling firearms by her father, California law requires all guns to be locked up.  Unable to get a gun, Jessica ran next door for help as the intruder murdered her 8 year old brother John and 11 year old sister Ashley with the pitchfork.  Merced deputies later shot and killed Bruce, but the murders might have been prevented had it not been for the California law! - Fresno Bee 08/24/00 THE MILITIA
     Guns are not for shooting little ducks, they are for shooting politicians when they take away your rights." -Representative Bob Dornan
AMENDMENT II
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. Why was the " right to bear arms" included in the Bill of Rights?  Because the founding fathers had learned from previous experience.
On April 19, 1775, in an attempt to confiscate the colonial militia' s weapons, the British soldiers fired the " shot heard 'round the world."  Without weapons the Revolutionary War would have been lost.  But that wasn' t the only experience the colonists remembered.
     "The inhabitants of Boston being confined within that town by the general their governor, and having, in order to procure their dismission, entered into a treaty with him, it was stipulated that the said inhabitants having deposited their arms with their own magistrate, should have the liberty to depart, taking with them their other effects.  They accordingly delivered up their arms, but in open violation of honour, in defiance of the obligation of treaties, which even savage nations esteemed sacred, the governor ordered the arms deposited as aforesaid, that they might be preserved for their owners, to be seized by a body of soldiers; detained the greatest part of the inhabitants in the town, and compelled the few who were permitted to retire, to leave their most valuable effects behind.      By this perfidy wives are separated from their husbands, children from their parents, the aged and the sick from their relations and friends, who wish to attend and comfort them; and those who have been used to live in plenty and even elegance, are reduced to deplorable distress."- "Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms" July 6, 1775
     Nothing can preserve liberty, but downright force.  When you give up that force you are ruined."
-Patrick Henry.
It is obvious that the Second Amendment was meant as an individual right, not a collective one.
"The Constitution states that all power is inherent in the people, that they may exercise it by themselves, and that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; no man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson
The framers of our Constitution were afraid a standing army might be used by a tyrannical government.  To prevent this possible tyranny they included: "Congress shall have the power...  To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years." - Article I, Section 8, Powers of Congress:
     "As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people before them, may attempt to tyrannize the people, the people are confirmed in their right to keep their private arms."-Tench Coxe, member, Continental Congress
Federalist Papers, Number 29:  "If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in discipline and use of arms, who stand ready to defend their rights and those of their fellow citizens."
-Alexander Hamilton
They believed that a militia should be our main line of defense, and that meant that the citizenry must be armed.  Even today the responsibilities of the militia are included in U.S. law.

U.S.  CODES - TITLE 10
CHAPTER 13 - THE MILITIA
§311. Militia:  composition and classes
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of (b) States who are commissioned officers of the National Guard.
 (b) The classes of the militia are-
     (1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
     (2) The unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.
     Failure to recognize that the National Guard is a component of the U.S. Army and not equivalent to the Second Amendment' s " militia" has allowed  prohibition advocates to misconstrue the protections guaranteed to individual citizens by the Second Amendment."
-Fields W., Hardy D,
The Militia and the Constitution.
Gun control advocates proclaim the "people" in the Second Amendment means a state militia, yet the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an individual' s right to keep and bear arms, explicitly protecting military-style equipment. - US v. Miller. 307 US 174 (1938)
     "What is the militia? It consists of the whole people." -George Mason, Father to the Bill of Rights:
    The militia is a state function, not federal, and all personnel and officers are supposed to be selected and trained by the individual states.  This is to assure primary allegiance to the state and not the federal government, but the federal government will never admit that. "Civilian disarmament will be accomplished by totally disusing and neglecting the militia" - George Mason
     When gun control advocates proclaim that we must eliminate all "assault weapons" they should first read the Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788: " Every terrible instrument of the soldier is the birthright of an American.  The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but where I trust it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." - Tench Coxe, Continental Congress
      The domestic responsibility of the militia is to protect the citizenry from the use of excessive force by the government. "When the government is afraid of the people, we have liberty. When the people are afraid of their own government, we have tyranny."
     "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself.  They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence.  To ensure peace, security, happiness the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable.  The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that' s good."
-George Washington
HUNTING
     At the time of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, hunting was an accepted practice to help feed the family.  Today, although hunting may not be a necessity for the citizenry, it is often required because many animals no longer have natural predators.  It is only through harvesting excess game that animals are prevented from over-populating and starving.
     Many animal activists decry the activities of the sporting clubs, but in Arizona when heavy snows covered the antelope feeding grounds, it was the hunters, not the activists, who chartered aircraft and dropped feed to the starving animals.

TARGET SHOOTING
      To many gun control activists this would seem to be a total waste of time and money.  However, when war is declared, it is the trained shooters who form the backbone of the military.  Target shooting develops confidence and skill, and many enjoy target shooting as much as others enjoy golf. In addition, it is on the target range that new weapons and ammunition are developed. Last, but certainly not least, target shooting is an ideal opportunity to train children in gun safety and to overcome the curiosity and the reckless image of guns as shown in movies and TV.

ARE WE THE ONLY ONES?
      American gun control advocates condemn the Untied States as the most armed nation in the world.  However, this honor should be given to  Switzerland. Switzerland has no standing army and almost all adults are in the Swiss militia.  After military training, the militia members are returned to civilian life, complete with uniform, weapons, and ammunition for their home.  Each year they must re-qualify with their weapons. Switzerland remains a free nation with a low crime rate and few problems with guns.
       During the Second World War, a German General asked a Swiss general how many men he could put under arms.  The Swiss replied,  "One million."  "What if we attack with two million men," said the German. " I Guess we' ll just have to shoot twice," the Swiss replied.
See:  www.gunowners.com  or www.nra.org
 

Sign from Switzerland: Warning, Trespassing is Dangerous! You can forget about the dog. I watch here Enter at your own risk!