I support armed militia
In light of recent events at Virgina Tech, gun crazies from all sides of the issue are all screaming "SEE I TOLD YOU SO" like hungry baby birds. They should all be hung from the yardarm by their feet, each and every one. They should be hung by alternating views so finally they will realize once and for all that they actually have something very important in common.
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution states that: "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." Wikipedia to the rescue.
The emphasis on this statement has been skewed in my opinion. These days people seem to read it like this:"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."
What I think we need to do is step back and restore balance by focusing on this emphasis for a while: "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."
What I'm saying is that gun control is not the issue. (And I'm sick to death of both sides saying it is.) Lack of service in the militia is. You want to carry, then you have to have served in the militia. If you have served in the militia you are highly trained. Not so much as a combat soldier, but way more than your typical gun safety class. Think of it as a cross between the national guard and the sheriff's office, with a dollop of community watch on top. No, this would NOT be the military. The military couldn't be involved really. It would be conflict of interest. The military serves the government and the whim of the commander and chief. The militia serves the people.
During your stint you would be available to be called upon by the police or the national guard to serve during local disasters. I wouldn't even mind it being required, knowledge is power.
For those pointing fingers of blame at the tools, I say the real issue is the lack of knowledge of their uses. You can be sure that in situations like work place shootings if there were militia trained people around the end result would be less damage not more. Even if no militia person in the room was actually carrying a weapon, they would be more trained to respond correctly a violent attacker.
