A closer look at our laws and the reality of the First and Second Amendments shows a clear similarity of the government and the people’s abilities related to the First Amendment, but a radical difference in the government’s “arms” v. the citizenry guaranteed in the Second Amendment. So why are we beating up the Second Amendment?
In the case of the First Amendment – amazing and radical changes in speech and communication have occurred since the 1700’s where men would stand on soap boxes on street corners to make their point. Newspapers were the way people communicated most prolifically then, at least to the literate elite portion of the population.
Other than the great example of not allowing one to yell “fire” in a crowded theatre, there are very few regulations on speech in this country where crucifixes are doused in urine, flags are burned. Political speech, ironically, is perhaps the greatest regulated speech in the land of the free, given all the disclosure required to pay for it.
Today, between Facebook, Twitter and internet in general, a revolution of speech has been afforded to every citizen on the planet to speak his or her mind. Never could our Founders have foreseen these amazing technologies available to both the government and the people. Nobody is suggesting that they should be solely the domain of the government.
