The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution asserts the right - the legal immunity from interference by the State - of American citizens to keep and bear arms. This means a rifle strapped to my back and a pistol or two strapped to my hip, day or night. It doesn't go far enough. It leaves guns in the hands of a subculture that has proven itself too irresponsible to carry them: the police. If I were called upon to write the constitution for a free country, meaning a country no larger than Iowa, I would require every citizen to be armed, except members of the police. A policeman would have to apply for an on-duty gun permit. He would not be allowed to carry a gun on duty, just like England’s bobbies are not allowed to carry them. Every child, male and female, beginning no later than age six, would be trained by parents regarding the moral responsibility of every armed citizen to come to the aid of any policeman in trouble. Unarmed people deserve protection.

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