Defend2.org is dedicated to the protection of Second Amendment rights in New York State. We focus on advocating for the right to bear arms, provide information on various legislative efforts, court cases, and news that is related to New York gun rights and the Second Amendment. We also encourage all citizens to vote, exercise, and take action to protect our 2ND Amendment rights.
The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for their own defense. Only a few countries support the idea that their people have a right to keep and bear arms and protect it on a statutory level, and even fewer protect such a right on a constitutional level.
In the United States, self-defense is an affirmative defense that is used to justify the use of force by one person against another person under specific circumstances. In the U.S., the general rule is that “[a] person is privileged to use such force as reasonably appears necessary to defend him or herself against an apparent threat of unlawful and immediate violence from another.” In cases involving non-deadly force, this means that the person must reasonably believe that their use of force was necessary to prevent imminent, unlawful physical harm. When the use of deadly force is involved in a self-defense claim, the person must also reasonably believe that their use of deadly force is immediately necessary to prevent the other’s infliction of great bodily harm or death. Most states no longer require a person to retreat before using deadly force. In the minority of jurisdictions which do require retreat, there is no obligation to retreat when it is unsafe to do so or when one is inside one’s own home. – Taken From Wikipedia –
The late Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: “[There’s] the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to change with society, like a living organism, or it will become brittle and break. But you would have to be an idiot to believe that; the Constitution is not a living organism; it is a legal document. It says some things and doesn’t say other things.”
Justice Clarence Thomas followed: “There are really only two ways to interpret the Constitution — try to discern as best we can what the Framers intended or make it up. No matter how ingenious, imaginative or artfully put, unless interpretive methodologies are tied to the original intent of the Framers, they have no basis in the Constitution. … To be sure, even the most conscientious effort to adhere to the original intent of the Framers of our Constitution is flawed, as all methodologies and human institutions are; but at least Originalism has the advantage of being legitimate and, I might add, impartial.”
Justice Scalia concluded: “If you think aficionados of a living constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. … As long as judges tinker with the Constitution to ‘do what the people want,’ instead of what the document actually commands, politicians who pick and confirm new federal judges will naturally want only those who agree with them politically.”
The following was taken from: Not a Second Class Right: The Second Amendment Today by Nelson Lund;
In most American states, including many with large urban population centers, responsible adults have easy access to ordinary firearms, and they are permitted to carry them in public. Experience has shown that these policies do not lead to increased levels of violence. Criminals pay no more attention to gun control regulations than they do to laws against murder, rape, and robbery. Armed citizens, however, prevent countless crimes and have saved many lives. What’s more, the most vulnerable people—including women, the elderly, and those who live in high crime neighborhoods—are among the greatest beneficiaries of the Second Amendment. If the courts require the remaining jurisdictions to stop infringing on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, their citizens will be more free and probably safer as well.
PROTECTING OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
“The Founders established a national right to keep and bear arms, not to ask for permission from hostile local officials, or risk imprisonment for crossing the wrong state line,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Many states already protect the right to carry without a permit, and it’s time to reaffirm this right for all law-abiding Americans. The National Constitutional Carry Act will establish nationwide permitless carry to keep America safe and her people free.”
The National Constitutional Carry Act is endorsed by Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights.
“In a time of war, Americans cannot afford to have the right to bear arms delayed by arbitrary state permitting processes. Public safety is threatened not only by ordinary criminals, but also bad actors working for foreign adversaries, and Americans need to be armed for the security of our free state. That’s why Gun Owners of America is proud to endorse Senator Mike Lee’s National Constitutional Carry Act. Under this GOA-backed legislation, the right to carry a firearm without a government permission slip will be fully restored, and unconstitutional states regulations on firearms, ammunition, and magazine size will be preempted.” – Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President, Gun Owners of America
“Senator Mike Lee’s Real Constitutional Carry bill is the only legislation that will restore the right of all law-abiding Americans to carry a firearm in every state without having to beg for government permission. Twenty-nine states already have Constitutional Carry, but this should be law regardless of which state you live in. The Second Amendment is not a second-class right. The National Association for Gun Rights thanks Senator Lee for introducing this bill and urges its swift passage.” – National Association for Gun Rights
Protect the 2nd Amendment exercise your 2ND Amendment rights.
Ask Your Senator S.4013 and Representative H.R.645 to co-sponsor
the National Constitutional Carry Act
Find Your Assembly Member here ask them to co-sponsor RKBA amendment A9203.
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would allow all law-abiding citizens the freedom to defend themselves.