The First Amendment embodies the highest ideals of the American model of self-government. The Second Amendment explains how those ideals are best protected from tyrants and usurpers.
It states: “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.”
There are generally accepted two clauses in the Second Amendment: the prefatory clause (the part before the comma) and the operative clause (the part after the comma). Many anti-gun advocates claim the prefatory clause suggests the operative clause was merely a means of preventing Congress from disarming the state militias.
However, there’s a piece of history missing from that argument. The Bill of Rights, and all amendments to the Constitution, were made to the original document, not just merely tacked on. The Second Amendment, and several others, were added to the charter in the section that limits congressional authority over individuals, not the states.
In fact, James Madison’s speech to the House of Representatives upon offering the Bill of Rights suggested entirely different language. It stated, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country; but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
Of course, liberals can’t let facts get in the way of their arguments. Therefore, they resort to more ignorant defenses for “gun control,” the worst of which is easily, “Well, Jesus said turn the other cheek.”
Perfectly executed cherry picking.
In Matthew 5, Jesus does, in fact, use those very words. But let’s look at what he said in its full context. The part liberals love to pick out is a very small portion of the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus at that point is kicking His earthly ministry into high gear, and He wants His followers to know what is expected from each of them. He knows what will come, and in His perfect way, He’s telling them—and through Matthew, the rest of us—to be prepared to be:
• Insulted
• Ridiculed
• Despised
• Attacked within the acceptable scope of the cultural and legal mechanisms
In the Bible, Jesus equipped you with the Truth. Not only did He tell you what to be prepared for, He also told you how to respond to it: with dignity, love and respect for everyone around you.
His line, “But whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also,” is a metaphor for that concept.
At the time of His earthly ministry, and for centuries that followed, no one used his left hand to attack, and any slap was with the palm side of the hand. So a slap to the right cheek had to come from a left-handed attack.
Have you ever wondered why a handshake with a stranger is always right-handed? Not that many years back, to shake right hands, one had to put his sword in his left, meaning both were safe to enter each other’s personal space without fear of being assaulted or killed. Anyone who would think to violate that concept was inherently evil.
That’s why Jesus prefaced His “turn the other cheek” quote by saying, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person.” He’s telling you to minister to those who are evil just as you would anyone else. He’s not telling you to be a doormat.
That’s further reinforced near the end of His earthly ministry when He tells His disciples that he who has no sword should sell his garment and buy one. Just before that, He reminded them that when they traveled with Him, they were never in need of anything, but His time was coming to an end, and they must be prepared for what is to come.
The Roman Empire, persecution and genocide were about to come falling right on their heads. They were going to be expected to continue His ministry while He returned to heaven. They needed to be prepared to take care of themselves—including self-protection.
So don’t for a second buy the liberals’ feel-good message that Jesus wanted you to be a doormat, because He didn’t. Quite the opposite; He expects you to be prepared to defend yourself, your family and your neighbors.
In the Second Amendment, our forefathers were just trying to obey His teachings.
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