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.

As I’ve done previously, I’ll disclose my bias up front. I believe the 2nd Amendment to be outdated, vague, and no longer relevant to the world we live in. The 2nd Amendment should be repealed and replaced with something that actually reflects the realities of the firepower available and the threats we face today (and if you say, “tyrannical government,” please take your paranoia elsewhere).

I also believe that confiscating guns is a good thing (see Australia) that deserves serious consideration. Why any civilian needs an assault rifle defies rational explanation.

Yes, I’m a gun-grabbing Liberal…and I’m proud of it.

I also understand that none of this will happen- not in my lifetime, not in my dreams. And I’m OK with that. I don’t always have to get everything I want. Frankly, I’d settle for some common sense…and arriving at that place appears to be even more unlikely than the things I’d like to see happen.

Let’s start with the language of the 2nd Amendment, the most willfully, conveniently, and ridiculously misinterpreted 27 words in American history. It fascinates me how gun nuts focus like rabid dogs on “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” while completely and oh so conveniently glossing over the “well regulated militia” part. Here’s a radical thought directed at gun nuts: YOU DON’T GET TO PICK AND CHOOSE. You don’t get to latch onto what you feel supports your unhealthy, immoral love of firepower and ignore that which really doesn’t.

You don’t get to determine for yourself what the 2nd Amendment means and cling to that with a love greater than most parents feel for their children. It’s sick, it’s immoral, and it’s just plain wrong.