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. |
This amendment reminds us that a balance of power is necessary to prevent aggression by others who could or would use superior force to dominate otherwise free people.
The Human Standard version of this is recognized as a matter of scale. Loaded guns are not the primary way that some people in families destroy the security of others in that family. Violence to subdue another can just be yelling, striking with the hand, or verbal threats. The purpose of this Amendment is not to ensure that we are entitled to a shoot-out at any moment. The point of this Amendment is to recognize the value of personal liberty, which is being free from domination by another. This freedom is not maintained with passivity. It is the responsibility of each person to say NO to coercive control. Parents model a balance of power to their children by how they fairly resolve conflict. A child learns and practices balance of power through social time with their peers. Children of like size and ability play well together because each learns to expect equality. We regulate force well when we identify the right boundaries to defend. It takes intelligence and strength to push back just enough to defend your own self, but not hard enough to harm the other. Well regulated force is the police officer tackling or disarming a dangerous person, without causing injury to the body of that person. It takes tremendous strength to find that line and keep it. This is the challenge of the Second Amendment. |