Rule 3: The Right to Bear Arms

Here is the Right to Bear Arms section from the proposed constitution. There are 179 similar sections for other topics.

1/ A strong well-armed people being necessary to the long-term security of a free and democratic nation, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed except as described in this Rule 3, the third of four citadel rights.

2/ Our nation shall always look at the big-picture, and the long-term historical picture on firearm ownership. It shall realize that limited amount of death caused annually by community gun violence is several thousands of times smaller than the life-savings that firearms bring in cases of invasion alone. All we have to do is look to how much of Eastern Europe lost up to 1/6 of its population during World War Two. And this is not counting dictatorship, warlordism, mafia violence, crime gangs, and general crime.

3/ Only citizens eligible to vote in our nation’s elections shall be allowed to own or hold firearms. This includes citizens that would be eligible to vote except that they are too young, and Citizens previously eligible to vote. It shall be a felony for non-citizens to hold firearms in our nation.

4/ Those previously convicted of a felony shall not have the right to own or hold firearms unless they are temporarily granted the right to hold arms by the Senate due to a national emergency.

5/ Those who have not completed secondary school in our nation, or passed the secondary school equivalency exam in our nation and in its national language of English, shall not own or hold firearms. The Senate may however temporarily grant the right to hold arms in a national emergency.

6/ All firearms must be ballistics registered with government. It shall be a felony to possess a firearm that is not ballistics registered, or does not match the ballistics registry. When police encounter a carry weapon, they shall be free to examine it and take a ballistics sample if they have a bullet catcher. Those trafficking in illegal or untraceable firearms get life.

7/ Each county government shall keep a list of residents disqualified from owning or holding a firearm for the reasons listed below. These lists and identities from the various counties shall be aggregated by the national government. People that are not on the list do shall not be required to wait to buy a firearm. People on the disqualified list cannot buy or hold firearms. People shall be disqualified from buying arms if any of the following apply:
a/ They have a felony conviction.
b/ They are a foreign person ineligible to vote.c/ They have not completed secondary school in our country or completed the secondary school equivalency test in English, in our country.
d/ They have ever engaged in a failed suicide attempt.e/ They have been locked-up by the court for mental health evaluation.
f/ They are homeless, or have been homeless in the past year.
g/ They currently have a marijuana license, or an alcohol license for more than 1 portion per 15kg of body weight per day.h/ They have had a license for meth amphetamine or cocaine, opiates, or hallucinogens in the past 10 years.
i/ A majority of their Centi-Nome votes to file a do-not-license order with the recorder’s office.

8/ The right to bear arms is based on the fact that firearms are more effective defensively than offensively. Firearms clearly favor the honest and static majority over the dishonest and ravaging few. The defensive power of firearms shall not be reduced by any purchase waiting period.

9/ There shall be two classes of projectile weapon, civilian and militia. Civilian weapons shall not explode, except to fire projectiles through a barrel. Civilian weapons shall also not injure with shrapnel, or use tumbling or explosive projectiles, or have a barrel larger than 2-cm in diameter.

10/ Some civilian weapons should be high powered and have armor piercing bullets. It is important that the people have adequate arms to defend against oppressors using armor of various sorts. However, the ability to rapidly fire large numbers of un-aimed bullets in some general direction should be considered too sloppy for civilian weapons used in a community. We shall instead require that all shots from civilian weapons be aimed. And we shall accomplish this by limiting the fire rate to one shot per 1.5 seconds. In other words, the right to bear arms shall be limited to civilian weapons that fire no faster than the time it takes to aim each shot.

11/ Civilian weapons must be designed so they are hard to modify and boost the fire rate. The trafficking in machine-gun conversion hacks shall be considered the equivalent of trafficking in machine guns.

12/ Except when a county Senate calls the people to arms, the possession of militia or military weapons off base, or outside a Centi-Nome armory, or while not on militia, military, or police duty shall be a felony.

13/ It shall be a capital offense to hold militia or military weapons such as a machine gun in the commission of a violent street crime such as a robbery or gang gun battle.

14/ Except for police weapons, all militia weapons shall be stored in Centi-Nome armories. Militia weapons shall not leave the armory and range except for training purposes, or in a call-to-arms by the county Senate. Such a call-to-arms shall require a simple majority vote of the county Main-Senate.

15/ Government shall not restrict the right to bear loaded civilian firearms in one’s home, or business, except that people with irresponsible or young dependents must lock their firearms up.

16/ Government shall not restrict the transportation of up to 6 unloaded civilian firearms per person with matching ammunition, provided both are in separate locked metal boxes. Bullets loaded in any portion of a firearm, including a separate ammunition clips shall be considered loaded in the firearm for all purposes.

17/ Each county shall follow one of 5 standard rule sets for firearm carry in public by ordinary citizens.a/ Universal right to carry: Right to carry all permitted civilian arms by everyone.b/ Restricted right to carry: Right to carry only weapons with a fire rate that is slower than 2 seconds, and barrels longer than 12 centimeters. All females must be over age 21 and all males must be over age 24.
c/ Easy licensed carry: Carry by licensees who may only be denied a permit if they are convicted criminals, or have a history of mental health issues.d/ Medium licensed carry: Carry by licensees who may only be denied a permit if they are convicted criminals, or have a history of mental health issues, or if 50% of their Centi-Nome votes against their application.
e/ Difficult licensed carry: Licenses are only granted if there is a genuine need.

18/ The counties shall be free to establish more relaxed carry rules in bad neighborhoods by posting signs.

19/ As a matter of national defense, all importation of all explosives, ammunition, firearms, and weapon systems, and their components shall be subject to a 50% duty on their final sale value. The importation and unlicensed use of fireworks shall be prohibited.

20/ Spring-opening, and flip-opening knives being more of a defensive weapon, government shall not prohibit them except where similar length fixed-blade and folding knives are also prohibited. Minors under the age for firearms shall not carry knives, folding knives, or box cutters on their person except while at work or in the wilderness. Also, parks and wilderness areas within cities do not count here.

21/ Imitation and toy firearms, that look even vaguely realistic shall not be sold or possessed in this nation.

22/ Those with a firearm, or a realistic simulation, in hand while attempting a robbery, kidnapping, battery, murder, or breaking into a premises may be shot in the back, or anywhere else, and without warning. When bystanders shoot fire-arm in-hand criminal assailants under these conditions, it shall be considered a form of civic self-defense and the person taking action shall be considered courageous and doing their civic police duty. The person taking action must however be reasonably certain of the situation and shall bear full responsibility if they are wrong or miss.

23/ Where the people rise up and kill a criminal gang oppressing their community with armed force, the courts shall generally dismiss the case on grounds of community self-defense. The courts shall also be free to give new identities and witness protection island housing to those brave people who did the right thing, in spite of the risk.

24/ No weapon manufacturer shall ever be held in any way responsible, either criminally or financially for the people harmed by the legal weapons they manufacture. To do otherwise is to shut down our nation’s defense industry, and our nation’s ability to defend itself.

25/ It shall be a felony to buy firearms for others. Straw-man gun buyers, and illegal arms merchants may be considered co-conspirators in the crimes committed by the guns they provide.

26/ All local police departments and Centi-Nome armories shall offer firearm lockers free of charge to their community. These lock-up weapons must alway be returned immediately upon request unless the owner is clearly intoxicated, delusional, or fighting mad. All Centi-Nome armories shall keep a supply of food, water purification tablets, bio-protective garments, emergency medical supplies, fuel, water pumps, and the like. These disaster items shall be kept in kits kept on pallets that can be easily sent to where they are needed. They are of a particular design and style worldwide and are all possession restricted and commerce forbidden. Nobody can buy or sell or hoard the public emergency goods without risking charges of public misappropriation.

27/ There shall be no tax of any sort on domestically made ammunition. Ammunition shall generally not contain toxins except those commonly found in lead, steel, brass, bronze, copper, and depleted uranium bullets and gunpowder. Tumbling bullets shall be prohibited in civilian arms because of how they ricochet more and harm more bystanders.

28/ Some counties will allow all civilian carry firearms, and some will require that all carry firearms be Public Guns. These will have GPS tracking. They also must have video and audio recording that comes on while de-holstered. They must also buffer the AV stream if out of range, and auto-update to the recorder when they are in range. There shall be no delete function for the recordings of Public Guns. Ammunition used in Public Guns must have special head shapes, and bullet sizes and the owner’s permit number stamped on the bullets and shells. The Public Gun ammo may have harmless nano-markers in the gun powder. A statement must be filed within 24-hours for each carry firearm bullet fired unless this is genuinely impossible. Only registered bullets may be carried by the Public Gun owner. All Public handguns must have a finger print reader to unlock indefinitely.

29/ There shall be no prohibition on legal gun owners carrying Public Guns with registered bullets in any national parks or national wilderness area with bears or mountain lions, or any other area where people regularly die at the hands of desperados, or gangsters. The people shall have the right to protect themselves when in danger. All carry weapons must be kept in a holster while in public.

30/ All foreign made firearms and ammunition shall be subject to a protective tariff of 50%. However, with regard to domestically made firearms and ammunition, Government shall be prohibited from requiring any form of or tax, or payment, or cost, or insurance, or overly complex registration process for buying, selling, owning or licensing any domestically made firearms. We shall not discourage civil and national defense by raising the cost of weapons or ammunition.

31/ So the people may benefit from both inexpensive weapons and interchangeable repair parts in crisis situations, the Senate shall establish standard public domain designs for three types of civil defense rifle, including a .50 calibre design. These designs shall not be required, only recommended.

32/ The greater the crisis situation, the more the people need arms. Senators and others, including military personnel on orders, police and all others who participate in rounding-up civilian firearms in time of crisis may be charged with capital democide. Let everyone be on notice that those men who round up the arms of the people shall be treated the same as those who fire on unarmed protesters. All shall hang if we the people ever regain power, and there shall be no statute of limitations here.

33/ Those who break into the homes of others may generally be shot dead upon the slightest provocation or apparent provocation, and it shall be considered self-defense. The maximum penalty for shooting dead an unconnected stranger in one’s home shall be 3-years of community service. Anyone courting or friends with anyone living in that premises shall be considered connected. Construction and yard workers and some other people shall be considered unconnected strangers when they come back and break-in. This section does not apply where the shooter has a drug or high level alcohol license, or is a prostitute, or where the property is offered for sale or lease, or people are otherwise invited to come by, or where the person entering used keys to enter, or the property is apparently vacant. During riots and uprisings, those who break into any sort of indoor premises may also be shot and the maximum penalty for shooting them dead shall be 3-years of community service. A maximum penalty of 1-years of community service shall also apply when a person has a government-issued right-to-defend restraining order against the person they shot dead, and the person killed was in a known exclusion zone.

34/ The right to bear arms does not include:
a/ The right to bear arms in a protest.
b/ The right of non-citizens, minors, drug users and alcoholics to bear arms.
c/ The right to bear arms at other people’s private property without an invitation. Retail stores open to the public shall however be considered public places, not private property with regard to gun cary.
d/ The right to approach people and initiate contact while openly carrying a firearm.

35/ All Confirmed Senators shall be automatically licensed to carry a firearm without approval, once they have completed the gun safety and security module.

36/ Democracy works better when everyone can say what they think, and when nobody fears speaking out. Few things helps this state of affairs to exist like when the people are armed and less vulnerable to extrajudicial violence.

37/ Being well armed is the cheapest, the easiest, and the most foolproof way for the people to defend their freedom. A large number of brave snipers totally change what it is to occupy a nation.

38/ Flame throwers shall be considered as equal to machine guns.

39/ Theft of firearms shall be considered both theft and possession of an unregistered firearm, so the penalties should be very high. Theft of many firearms should be considered akin to terrorism, and those caught in possession of large numbers of stolen firearms are subject to life at hard labor.

40/ It shall not be allowed to bring weapons to bars or intoxicant parties.

41/ All existing civilian firearms with a fire rate over 1.0 round per second must be sold to government for their prior value within 5-years. All existing civilian firearms with a fire rate over 1 round per 1.5-seconds must be sold to government for their prior value within 10-years. After these deadlines, all such rapid fire weapons shall be considered as machine guns.

42/ We shall honor the words of Mohandas Gandhi, a luminary of non-violence: ”Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.”