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The 2nd Amendment is an Insufficient Check on Government Power, Even if Necessary
True check on state power are people in powerful positions in service of the state
The great American Republic was founded based on a fundamental distrust of government. Baked into the blueprint of the founding is a system of government designed not for a ruling class or monarch nor for expediency and efficiency, but rather it was designed for the people based on limitations of powers via checks and balances between the three branches government, between the federal and state governments, and between the government and the people.
Power was given to the people as a check on government through multiple institutions, most prominently through the vote and the 2nd Amendment. However, are “any” of these institutions in general and the 2nd Amendment sufficient to prevent or reverse a slide towards an authoritarian or totalitarian regime? I believe they are not, and what really matters are those who hold influential positions and truly believe in the principles of a free society as enshrined in the Constitution.
2nd Amendment Interpretations
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the…
