The 2nd Amendment made sense when muskets were the pinnacle of weaponry, and it was reasonable to expect some sort of balance between the military power of the govt and of the people. It is now 100 years obsolete -- made so by the power of modern weaponry vs. the irresponsibility of Joe American.
Anybody who honestly believes a few handguns and assault rifles would have *any* chance of deterring a govt assault by anything more threatening than a letter opener-wielding battalion of postal carriers... is sadly, and ridiculously, mistaken.
We need tanks, missiles, and tactical nukes! Now how safe would you feel knowing your drunk neighbor had a couple tactical nukes at his disposal? Not very.
I believe, however, the 2nd Amendment gave that right, but it's obsolete and frankly (don't shoot me
) should be repealed.
The classic NRA anti-govt opression line is Grade A bullshit. The real reason: power vs. fellow citizen, whether that's vs. a potential criminal, bullies in a bar, or some schmuck boinking your wife. Now, whether "law-abiding" citizens should have that power is debatable, but not, I feel, within the scope or intent of the Constitution.