gun rights

When I went through NRA Instructor training, before training got under way, every student in the class had to tell other students in the class a little about themself and where they came from. Since there were students in my class from all over the country, I told them I was from Philadelphia, because no one can identify and locate on a map, my little hamlet of Gilbertsville. I also wanted to tell them something about the reason we were all sitting in a firearms instructor class was due to Pennsylvania’s patriotic forefathers. So I told them this…

Every 2nd Amendment Patriot can recite the following…

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” _{– 2^nd Amendment, United States Constitution, 1791}

But how many Patriots can recite this one?…

“The right of citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.” _{– Article 1, Section 21, Pennsylvania Constitution, 1776}

Besides the language, does anything stick out with you between these two sentences?

Notice anything about the dates of the respective sentences? That’s right! Article 2, section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution predates the U.S. Constitution by 15 years. So while our patriotic forefathers were telling ol’ King George III to shove imperialism up his ass, delegates to the Pennsylvania State House were ratifying the PA Constitution.

Article 1, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution was the model for the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. You’re reading it here first. Pennsylvania was the first of these new United States to recognize citizens’ rights to defend themselves. Every Pennsylvanian should be proud of that fact.