Fighting for the Bill of Rights

To the Editor:

I read in the Dec. 5 Missoulian that Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath is filing a brief in support of citizen gun ownership, I want to thank him for doing so.

The one thing I have never read in the debate over the gun issue about whose right it is to own guns is the fact, the Bill of Rights is a "Written guarantees of basic individual liberties; the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution." (Politics in America Basic Version Fifth Edition by Thomas R. Dye, page 78)

In the section on the Bill of Rights it goes on to state "The Federalist argued that there was really no need for a bill of rights because (1) the national government was one of enumerated powers only, meaning it could not exercise any power not expressly enumerated, or granted, in the Constitution; (2) the power to limit free speech or press, establish a religion, or otherwise restrain individual liberty was not among the enumerated powers; (3) therefore it was not necessary to specifically deny these powers to the new government. But the Anti-Federalists were unwilling to rest fundamental freedoms on a thin thread of logical inference from the notion of enumerated powers. They wanted specific written guarantees that the new national government would not interfere with the rights of individuals or the powers of the states." (Politics in America Basic Version Fifth Edition by Thomas R. Dye, page 79 & 80)

"During the entire war (Revolutionary), most of Washington's troops had been state militia. (The "militia" in those days was composed of every free adult male; each was expected to bring his own gun.)" (Politics in America Basic Version Fifth Edition by Thomas R. Dye, page 70) So the militia was a group of free adult individuals.

To me every free adult male (human) is the militia for the state and not the National Guard, one good example of why the free adult is the militia is the fact some of the National Guard is overseas fighting a war and not standing guard at home.

Glenn Garrison

Troy