Charles replied:

 

> > The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed;

> > a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a

> > free country; but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms

> > shall be compelled to render military service in person.

> 

> You bring up a good point. I'm now going to go out on a limb, not

> having read the article.

> 

> The fact that Congress struck the last clause suggests a preference of

> some sort for defense over religious conscience.

 

Perhaps. IIRC a conscientious objector clause for the revised Second
Amendment was proffered during debates, and was voted down. I could
incompletely argue that since militias were state organizations and that
since the Second Amendment was designed in part to preserve these state
organizations, any conscientious objector rules were deferred to the states.

 

As an aside (and I'm sure most folks on this forum are aware) there was an
attempt in the Senate to add "for the common defense" to the Second
Amendment, and it was voted down - a fact I found not well represented in
Heller briefs.

 

Guy Smith

Author of Shooting The Bull <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983240701/>
and Gun Facts <http://www.gunfacts.info/>  

 

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