Yes but no centralized database.

"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"

How do you define 'well regulated militia'? Does 'well regulated' mean no regulation at all? Is some level of regulation mutually exclusive with 'well regulated' ?

This post was edited by Kayeto on Aug 11 2019 08:37pm

It doesn't mean no regulation, of course. I'm just saying that comparing it to automobile registration is questionable because driving is a privilege.

ok, instead of just saying "it's questionable", let's actually engage in the exercise of questioning it.

If the amount of regulation around automobiles (test, license, registration) were applied to firearms, would that be a violation of the 2nd amendment?

This post was edited by Kayeto on Aug 11 2019 09:03pm

It seems a bit antithetical that the institution (government) would have the sole power to create and oversee license of the very thing (guns), that in theory, is supposed to protect the citizenry from the government if/when needed.

So which body would you anoint in order to perform the 'regulation' that is mentioned in the 2nd amendment?

A video I linked here last week featured a historian suggesting that insurance companies might be appropriate for that task. They operate on the free market and already have the means to assess risk

"Well regulated" has nothing to do with the promulgation of regulations. "Well regulated" in the context of the 2nd amendment has everything to do with people being proficient with their firearms and trained in their use.

you know that what you personally accept as THE correct reading / interpretation of the second is just one of many (obviously the one that fits your own narrative), right?
realistically it's rather unlikely that the framers in the 18th century forsaw and intended america's current gun obsession and its massive drawbacks.

ok, so how would we ensure that citizens are proficient with their firearms and trained in their use? what system would we implement to adhere to that interpretation of the 2nd amendment?

Would a system of training and licensing (similar to the one we use for automobiles) not be in line with such a system?

No, people who promote the notion that "well regulated" pertains to the promulgation of regulations are entirely ignorant. It's honestly a completely retarded premise. Imagine had they written "the militia, which should be well supervised by the legislatures of the states wherein they reside, being necessary to a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
What the framers foresaw was a standing army and the attendant dangers of having one. And we're now living with some of the dangers of our standing army. We've waged wars on peoples all over the globe pushing monetary imperialism onto them.