Constitution allows personal protection
Regarding Raymond Petrea's letter (Feb. 20): His method of interpreting the Constitution is audacious. In 1934, Fred Astaire starred in the musical, "The Gay Divorcee." Seventy-one years ago, gay meant "happy and exuberant," but being a divorcee had a stigma so the title was self-explanatory. Today, that title has a different meaning, but the movie doesn't. Language evolution can't change the intent of a 214-year-old document, either.
The National Guard was established by law in 1916. How does the Constitution address it 125 years in advance? The term "the people" is found in the first, second, fourth, ninth and 10th amendments, with the 10th referring to "the people" separately from "the states" to avoid confusing the two.
In 2003, America had 45 murders and 256 rapes per day. Yet, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Warren v. District of Columbia, that police do not have a duty to protect individuals, placing the duty of protection with the person in the mirror. To do that, you may use a semiautomatic rifle with a 30-round magazine because your right is not to be infringed. Criminals benefit from gun-control laws because they disarm their victims.
John Dixon
Kernersville
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