Using Fear: Your Guns and Your Rights.

One of the internal things I find myself struggling with concerning the massacre in Orlando is one thought.
"I hope they died quickly."
Yes, I'm thinking and wishing that.
And that's what troubles me.
I'm not saying that's the worst thing. 
What I mean is that out of humanity, I hope they suffered very little.
Having a gun designed to mow multiple armoured soldiers quickly and efficiently while tearing through flesh and bone is not what the authors of the Constitution meant in the second amendment.
I said to a friend yesterday that I looked all over for a way to exercise my 2nd amendment right and couldn't find any C4 or ICBM missiles ANYWHERE.  That too are arms, right?  Why aren't they legal?  Because they're designed for war, not self defense.
The radical nut jobs are using semantics to discount the danger of these AR-15 ASSAULT weapons.  Saying the military version shoots 800 rounds per minute and this one "only" shoots 45.  Only?  They're out in full force trying to justify that this weapon, when used properly, you pull the trigger once and one round fires. No disagreement there. But, what they're not saying, is this: no one meaning harm is going to pull it and let go. The fact that it has the ability to be pulled and multiple rounds fired does not justify it as a weapon of self defense.
I've always been at odds with my Democratic party on the second amendment. I have always been fine, all along acknowledging exactly what it says.
The amendment, written at a time when we had no national military, reads:

"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."

Now, let's examine the definition of militia.  Johnson's Dictionary of 1755, likely used by the framers, defines militia as, "the standing force of a nation."  Hence the word military.

We have a military. They are armed to protect us. Using lame and cowardly lines like "I keep my gun to stand up to the government" is ridiculous and likely untrue. The few loons who have tried were swiftly removed by the military that defends the greater good of the nation.

No one is attempting to take away your handgun which can legitimately be said to be used for self protection. Nor are they trying to take away your ability to hunt, whether out of need or just because you enjoy killing animals. Never has been the issue, even though the NRA and their Religious Right counterparts have tried to convince you of that to further their own agendas.
But military weapons belong in the military. Just like armed warplanes, nuclear weapons and C4.  Not in your basement.
Want to play with guns of war?
Join the US armed forces and be real patriots.  Not arm chair patriots.
Further, my proposal. Want to own these military grade weapons (and let's cut the bullshit and not split hairs over their classification)?
Serve a career in the armed forces. Retire. And as part of your retirement package, you can keep your rifle. Conditional upon you agreeing to be on call in the event of war so that you may continue your dedication to the preservation of this great country.
Having any rights comes with responsibilities.
Otherwise, stop acting like your fucking guns are the most important issue facing any single American. If you're as tough as you act, a spray of kevlar-shredding, poison tipped bullets couldn't kill you anyhow.