Article: What does it mean to “bear arms”?, The Economist
I’m not going to waste much space on this. “Bear arms”, or “to keep and bear arms” means exactly what it says, and means exactly what it did back in 1791 when the Amendment was ratified. It means to own, carry, and use.
That is it.
No additional qualifiers like The Economist article attempts to include. The right of the people to keep and bear arms means the right of the individuals who make up “the people” to own, carry, and use firearms for lawful, defensive purposes. And it is a right that shall not be infringed.
It isn’t complicated. So stop acting like it is.
What makes this all the more insidious and aggravating is no one would say “what did they mean by ‘speech’?” with regard to the First Amendment. Yet with almost every word in the Second, and the idea of the right itself, they play this game. It needs to stop.
