08-04-2010, 04:21 PM
Hi,
It is not that simple. As I keep pointing out, the Second Amendment exists. That is a fact. To get rid of it would take another amendment. The process is governed by Article 5 of the Constitution which says in its entirety:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
So, you see, it takes 2/3 of Congress or 2/3 of the state legislatures to propose an amendment and 3/4 of the legislatures or state conventions to ratify it. Hardly simple majority. This is one of the consideration that most of the citizens of the USA and nearly everybody else is either ignorant of or choses to ignore.
If you look at the polls, then the split is typically pretty even. There are regional differences, and the numbers vary depending on how long it's been since the last school massacre, but roughly half of the population goes each way. So 2/3 and 3/4 majorities are probably pipe dreams.
--Pete
(08-04-2010, 08:40 AM)Crusader Wrote: I disagree there Pete. The USA has a democracy of sorts and in the end the majority decides. So apparently the majority of the USA wants their guns.
It is not that simple. As I keep pointing out, the Second Amendment exists. That is a fact. To get rid of it would take another amendment. The process is governed by Article 5 of the Constitution which says in its entirety:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
So, you see, it takes 2/3 of Congress or 2/3 of the state legislatures to propose an amendment and 3/4 of the legislatures or state conventions to ratify it. Hardly simple majority. This is one of the consideration that most of the citizens of the USA and nearly everybody else is either ignorant of or choses to ignore.
If you look at the polls, then the split is typically pretty even. There are regional differences, and the numbers vary depending on how long it's been since the last school massacre, but roughly half of the population goes each way. So 2/3 and 3/4 majorities are probably pipe dreams.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?