After the mass murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and yet another round of thoughts and prayers, it’s (well past) time to take meaningful action. The purpose of the second amendment was clearly to allow for the possession of weapons of war by the militia; therefore, a new amendment must make that crystal clear, without wiggle room, to undo the damage by so-called ‘conservative’ supreme court jurists.
That is, it’s time to separate discussion of ‘guns’ in general from discussion of the weapons of war that are used to commit mass murders so often on our soil.
The preamble to this Constitution professes the intent to insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, and promote the general Welfare; however, the second Amendment to this constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court in such fashion as to violate this trust.
Therefore, be it known that no person shall possess a weapon of war who is not an active or reserve member of the U.S military or coast guard, or of a state militia or national guard, or of a police force fully regulated by the nation or state.
For the purpose of this amendment, a weapon of war shall be defined as any instrument, weapon, or tool capable of killing more than 1 person per minute, or any firearm capable of firing more than one round per minute when operated by an unskilled operator; or any firearm with a magazine capable of holding more than one round; or any explosive device whose primary purpose is not celebratory display or demolition in the furtherance of construction.
[The above paragraph was updated from suggestions as follows:]
For the purpose of this amendment, a weapon of war shall be defined as any weapon designed to kill more than 1 person per minute from a distance; or any firearm capable of firing more than one round per minute when operated by an untrained operator; or any firearm with a magazine capable of holding more than one round; or any explosive device whose primary purpose is not celebratory display or demolition in the furtherance of construction. This definition explicitly excludes premodern weaponry such as non-compound bows and arrows, spears, knives and clubs.
The right to possess a weapon of war shall further be dependent on possession of a valid license issuable only after a minimum of a 14-day intensive training period from the issuing government authority, and passing a written and psychological examination. All such licenses shall expire after no more than 1 year from issuance. No renewals shall be automatic, but will require passing the same again, as well as continuing to meet the primary requirement of participation in national or state military or law enforcement as enumerated above. All such licenses shall specify the type and number of weapons which the licensee may possess; and possession of weaponry in excess of the licensed type and number or after license expiration shall be illegal.
Nor shall any person or organization sell any such weapon of war to any individual without registering such sale with the government and verifying that the purchaser has the legal right to own such a weapon due to participation in the above recognized military and law-enforcement organizations; nor shall such sale be completed prior to a holding period of 14 days, and the careful validation of all licenses and registrations.
Possession of any such weapon of war outside of the above restricted requirements; or sale of any such weapon of war to any unlicensed individual, or without registration, or prior to the required 14-day holding period, shall constitute prima facie conspiracy to commit murder, and shall be punishable by a minimum of 5 years in prison if no lives are lost; and a minimum sentence of life in prison without parole if the weapon possessed without license or sold to an unlicensed individual was used to commit murder by any individual other than the licensed owner, or outside of a justifiable military or law enforcement action.
Possession or sale of multi-shot magazines without license, or of any devices capable of modifying single-shot weapons to be multi-shot, automatic, or semi-automatic weapons, shall similarly be illegal and shall similarly constitute prima facie evidence of conspiracy to commit murder and shall be punishable by similar sentences.
Once enacted, the citizens and residents of the territories of the United States who are not members of the above-mentioned military and police organization shall have 180 days to surrender their weapons of war, after which introductory period, the full weight of this amendment shall be brought to bear without exception. Members of the above-mentioned military and police organizations shall have up to one year from the time their respective organizations implement training and licensing regimens, which implementation shall be no more than one year from enactment of this amendment, for a total of two years grace period, maximum, after which the full weight of this amendment shall be brought to bear upon unlicensed individuals in possession of weapons of war without exception. [Addendum:] The federal and state governments may choose to institute buybacks to increase compliance.
No prior provision of this amendment shall be read to change the laws affecting possession or sale of single-shot weapons without magazines that are used solely for hunting or self-defense. However, be it further understood that even this exception shall not be unlimited, and Congress may make such regulations as are necessary and reasonable to protect the lives of U.S. citizens from armed murderers.
