Who We Are

Who are the Amendment II Democrats, and what exactly are you trying to do?

Amendment II Democrats is currently an informal confederation of liberal, progressive, moderate, and conservative Democrats and like-minded individuals who are dedicated to fighting for a free and armed America where people are safe in their homes and communities and the Constitutional rights of all Americans are respected. We believe in the power and effectiveness of grassroots activism and participation in the democratic process.

Why on earth would you, as Democrats, oppose gun control?  Don't you want safer streets and safer communities?

Of course we want safer streets and communities - safe not only from armed robbers, murderers, rapists, and gangsters, but also safe from those in our government who abuse the public trust instead of serving it.  We stand in solidarity with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who declared that the purposes of the Second Amendment "include self-defense, hunting, sport, and some certainly would say, as would I, the protection of individual rights against a potentially despotic central government."

No rational society founded upon democratic principles, however, can function without some measure of firearms legislation.  To remove all gun legislation from the books is to invite anarchy.  What we want, as Amendment II Democrats, is a paradigm of gun legislation that promotes the general welfare while, at the same time, securing the blessings of our liberty to ourselves and our posterity.  We are convinced that our right to keep and bear arms is as important to our freedom as freedom of the press, the right to trial by jury, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, and freedom of religion.

Aren't you a front group for the NRA?

The fact that our name is missing from the NRA Blacklist is not enough justification to label Amendment II Democrats as a satellite of the NRA.  Some of us are indeed NRA members, but we receive no financial backing or logistic support from the NRA or any other association of gun owners other than an exchange of website links.

Do you have to own a gun to be an Amendment II Democrat?

Not at all.  It's not what's in your hand that makes you an Amendment II Democrat; it's what's in your principles and convictions.

Activists and lawmakers such as Sarah Brady, Carolyn McCarthy, and Ted Kennedy all have loved ones who were killed or severely injured by gun violence.  What do you say to these people?

First of all, we share your grief and sorrow, and we offer our sincere condolences.

We know that you're involved in gun-control activism because you sincerely believe that what you're doing is important and necessary to the safety and well-being of our nation.  And many of you have intensely personal reasons for continuing the fight.

We, as Amendment II Democrats, are bound by a different covenant than the one that governs the Brady Campaign, the Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, and Americans for Gun Safety.  But our ultimate goals are not that much different from yours.  We also want to create an America where people are safe from gun violence in their homes, schools, and places of business.  We also believe that the gun industry needs to be regulated sensibly and firmly.  And we also believe in educating people about gun violence and gun safety.  On these issues, we can find much in the way of common ground.

Our main point of contention is when activists and legislators decide they want to prevent law-abiding citizens from gaining access to firearms, promoting such efforts as crime-reduction initiatives or even as public health issues.  We reject the paradigm that dictates all civilian firearms must be designed strictly for hunting and/or sporting purposes, leaving all other guns in the hands of those who are in a position to violate the public trust.

Neither pragmatism nor changing political climates have had any effect on our position regarding the right to keep and bear arms.  It would be the easy way out to suggest that the Democratic National Committee drop gun control from its platform simply because their candidates are having trouble defeating Republican neo-conservatives.  Instead, we believe that responsible gun ownership is in harmony with the mission and the goals of the Democratic Party, provided that we wisely interpret the Second Amendment to support individual rights as well as collective responsibility.

We believe Benjamin Franklin said it best: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."  The enemies of American freedom will do everything within their ability to make you feel afraid and insecure, willing to turn human rights into commodities that can be bartered away.  Whatever you do, stand up to those who would deny you and your loved ones the liberty that is rightfully yours.  Ne illegitimi carbunculi tibi in facie sint!