Monday, January 28, 2013

Guest Blog: Giuliano Discusses 2nd Amendment

This week, Connecticut state lawmakers are holding public hearings regarding gun control and the Second Amendment. Former Mayor of Middletown and attorney Sebastian Giuliano responds to the Middletown Insider ‘s call for reader essays on the topic “ What does the Second Amendment Mean to You?” Below in his own words:

 Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Middletown Insider staff, and are published as a courtesy to readers.

Below in Giuliano's own words:

The Second Amendment is not limited to guns. It states that .  .  . the right of the people to keep and bear ARMS shall not be infringed." This includes any kind of "arms" - guns, knives, spears, swords, battle axes, maces and, when they are invented, phasers and lightsabres.

The Second Amendment did not "create" or confer any rights. It acknowledged a pre-existing right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms.

Let me ask a simple question:

What existed first, individuals with weapons, or armies (militias, if you prefer)? The answer is obvious. Armies were formed from armed individuals banding together (that's basically the definition of"militia"). Let me ask another question: At what point in human history was the inherent right of the individual to arm him/herself subsumed into the power of the state to raise an army? I cannot find any instance wherein free people made such a covenant or compact; I can only conclude that such rights, where they no longer exist, have been tyrannically usurped.

The individual has the inherent (for those of you who don't recognize the term "God-given") right to arm him/herself with weapons equivalent to those with which he/she might be threatened. For those who say that the Second Amendment only extends to muskets, blunderbusses and Kentucky rifles, I respond that those weapons represented the "state of the art" at the time; the framers of the Constitution clearly did not intend for the minions of the government to have such a deadly advantage over the citizens.

As much as I can recognize the damage that one individual bent on destruction can wreak with a firearm, I can't justify limiting the rights of the entire citizenry as an acceptable remedy. For every firearm used improperly there are countless, just like it, that are not and never will be. To attempt to paint millions of responsible citizens with the same broad brush and, thereby, limit their rights is something I will never accept and to which I will never accede.

I, frankly, decline to admit or deny that I may own a firearm It's nobody's business. But I do have a bit of a military background and I have been trained to handle some pretty scary stuff. I can tell you, without reservation, that all responsible gun owners and people who have ever fired a gun sincerely hope (and pray) that they will NEVER have to fire it at another human being; no person with a soul or conscience or thought or feeling would ever wish to be in that position. But they also don't want to be defenseless in the face of an attack upon themselves. For elected officials, who have sworn to preserve and protect the rights of each and every individual citizen, to be telling such citizens, of whose individual circumstances they are completely ignorant, what and how much they "need" is not only violative of their sworn duty, it is condescending, arrogant, contemptuous and downright insulting. I, for one, can never - and will never - support any political figure who demonstrates such an attitude, be it by his/her words or conduct.

Sebastian Giuliano

17 comments:

  1. I think we've lost sight of the real problem. We should be marching and protesting to take the criminals off the streets. These people are the law breakers, not the guns./ Instead of making new laws, that wont be enforced, lets make the laws we now have mean something. If anyone thinks that an illegal gun will stop a criminal from killing, think again. These people committ crimes because they know nothing will happen to them,and if they do go to prison, in many cases, they live better than what they are used to.

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  2. Good observation and thank you for your comment. Former Senator Len Suzio tried to stop early release of violent criminals and people balked. Now his predecessor is chatting up principals about safety in schools but failing to address the real issue as you and Suzio speak of. Check out the fluff piece in the Mess today regarding Senator Bartolomeo's visit to Farm Hill Elementary. It seems that public reaction is directly linked to the party delivering the message-

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  3. When is Seb going to register to run again for Mayor? Or Council? Come on Seb. Drew has got to go. All you need is a few hundred votes and your back in!

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  4. PLEASE SEB save us from the Puppet!

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  5. I agree with the author, particularly with the notion that legally armed citizens should have weapons equal to those against whom they are fighting. Considering the weaponry the government at every level has in its arsenals, it seems the NRA et.al. should be fighting to make legal more powerful weapons rather than defending to keep what they have. In particular, those located in border states should be able to defend themselves and their property from the weapons now in possession of the drug cartels. Ed Groth

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  6. He was a pretty decent Mayor but one needs to understand he is a REPUBLICAN on a council that has Democratic Majority.. Those guys/gals screwed him up big time.. Vote those guys/gals out too

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  7. He was a pretty decent Mayor but one needs to understand he is a REPUBLICAN on a council that has Democratic Majority.. Those guys/gals screwed him up big time.. Vote those guys/gals out too

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  8. When is Seb just going to GO AWAY??? He caused enough problems, doesn't he get that he is not relevant and no one cares what he has to say?

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  9. Does this mean you have nuclear weapons in your basement because you have the right to have arms equal to those of the horrible government? What nonsense. The killer at Newtown was not a criminal until he committed his crime. The weapons he used were owned legally by a supposed responsible citizen. This worship of guns is downright sick.

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  10. 900 hits? With half those numbers he could easily win the next election! SEB 2014! Mayor or council ....

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  11. 899 of those "hits" were Sebs!

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  12. Dear Anon 3:01

    The Giuliano piece did indeed receive 900 hits on his 2nd Amendment piece. Let's not confuse website hits with votes, we at the Insider do not attempt to censor anyone from the left or the right or the middle for that matter.

    Write what you like!

    -30

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  13. anonymous 3:29 pm you seem to be as delusional as some of our elected officials.

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  14. Is Debra Milardo his campaign manager?

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  15. Anon 8:16 Unfortunately I think both Debra and Seb realize that the last year and a half under the tyranny of the Drew regime has ruined Middletown as we all once knew it. Sadly those who had voice and more importantly a mind of independence have thrown up their hands. Until the voters of this town realize that the democrats are killing democracy, we have only ourselves to blame.

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  16. Sebs downfall was in my opinion, Deb, McMouth, Baldoni, not supporting those who supported him, and many others who he blindly trusted, who later backdoored him. I think deep down, he knows it too. I'd give him another try if he learned from those mistakes. I agree with the other poster, maybe he should run for a council seat instead of mayor. The republicans need to find a mirror image of Drew and more importantly a guy or gal that really lives here or grew up here who is truly passionate, and wants to do good for the people. Someone who's not only believable, but someone people can truly believe in, and rally around. Drew has really done a lot of things to show he's trying to make a differnace. The true test of his actions will come to light with how they actually work out. I have my reservations they will be truly a good way of doing business. Time will tell. Election is only 8 months away......

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