bj139 Wrote:I was only thinking outside the box or maybe fully inside the box as justification for absolute private citizen ownership of M16s since they are the standard military weapon today.I see. Well, I'll give you credit for attempting to think creatively, but it looks to me like that ship not only sailed long ago, it also sank to the bottom of the ocean.
First, the militia system that required all able-bodied, military-age males to serve in state militias -- and provide their own individual weapons -- ceased to exist.
The modern National Guard, as well as the official state militias that still survive, issue all required arms, eliminating the need for members to provide their own.
Then there's the matter of federal and state laws that restrict or prohibit private ownership of automatic weapons, laws that are pretty much impossible to repeal.
bj139 Wrote:A nagging question I have is whether states have the right to violate a citizen's constitutional rights as enumerated in the US Constitution.From a practical standpoint, it doesn't really matter much if they have the right, as long as the courts -- and the people -- allow such violations to be perpetrated.