Militias’ legacy should not be today’s suffering

While the importance of militias in the Revolutionary War is not disputed, we still feel their negative Constitutional residue: namely, the Second Amendment.

The Founders mistakenly assumed that militias would be important in further defense of the nascent nation. He was quickly proved wrong during the War of 1812, during which militias were ineffective in battling the British, French and Indigenous tribes.

It became evident to our nation’s leadership that a standing army and navy must become the military agents of our nation’s defense, not unregulated militias. Unfortunately, the Second Amendment stayed in the Constitution. As a limited right, poorly reasoned and already obsolete by 1820, it led to constant judicial reinterpretation and, much worse, the arming of most U.S. households.

Bully to the ragtag women and men that defeated the haughty redcoats. But the legacy of that fight and freedoms rooted in law should not be domestic murder, suicide and mass killings.

GD Cole

Downers Grove