[问答] 美国为什么不禁枪？

这个问题的回答真是一边倒，其实，在美国国内支持枪支管制的呼声并不弱，民主党，尤其是克林顿那一届政府，实施枪支管制的决心是非常大的……正因为如此，才有了《布雷迪议案》（曾担任总统新闻秘书的布雷迪在里根遇刺事件中受伤致残），才有了《暴力犯罪和执法保护法》。至于美国宪法第二修正案：管理良好的民兵是保障自由州的安全所必需的，因此人民持有和携带武器的权利不得侵犯。我个人倾向于理解为，它的本意是确保管理良好的民兵组织拥有持有枪支的权利，这是一种集体权利，而非在强调私人持枪的权利。

The Supreme Court held:
最高法院持有如下观点:

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(1) The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. Pp. 2–53.

(1) 宪法第二修正案保护个人拥有火器的权利,与他是否在民兵组织中服役无关,并保护他将武器用于传统的合法自卫目的,比如在家中自卫.

(a) The Amendment’s prefatory clause announces a purpose, but does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative clause. The operative clause’s text and history demonstrate that it connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms. Pp. 2–22.

(a) 第二修正案的导言条款宣称了一个目的,但这并不限制或者放大后半句,即执行条款,所能涉及的范围.这一执行条款的原文和其背后的历史都显示它意在赋予个人保有及携带武器的权利.

(b) The prefatory clause comports with the Court’s interpretation of the operative clause. The “militia” comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense. The Antifederalists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in order to disable this citizens’ militia, enabling a politicized standing army or a select militia to rule. The response was to deny Congress power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear arms, so that the ideal of a citizens’ militia would be preserved. Pp. 22–28.

(b) 导言条款本身也与本法庭对执行条款的解读一致."民兵"由所有身体上有能力进行一致的常见防卫行为的男性的全体构成.(起草第二修正案时,)反联邦主义者忌惮联邦政府可能解除人民武装,以达成如下目的,即令公民组成的民兵失能,并使得政治化的常备军或一小部分人组成的民兵统治所有人.作为响应,他们需要否定国会的特定权力,令他们无法缩减个人从古以来的拥有及携带武器的权利.据此,全民控制民兵这一理想便能得以保证.

(c) The Court’s interpretation is confirmed by analogous arms-bearing rights in state constitutions that preceded and immediately followed the Second Amendment. Pp. 28–30.

(c) 最高法院对第二修正案的解读,可以通过对比在第二修正案通过前和刚刚通过后成文的各州宪法中可比的携带武器权利条款来确认.

(d) The Second Amendment’s drafting history, while of dubious interpretive worth, reveals three state Second Amendment proposals that unequivocally referred to an individual right to bear arms. Pp. 30–32.

(d) 第二修正案的起草历史,尽管其本身是否值得用于解释修正案仍存疑,显示有三个州的第二修正案提案明确无误的指明其与个人携带武器的权利相关.

(e) Interpretation of the Second Amendment by scholars, courts and legislators, from immediately after its ratification through the late 19th century also supports the Court’s conclusion. Pp. 32–47.

(e) 从第二修正案被批准,直至19世纪晚期,期间来自学者,法庭和立法机构的对其的解读均支持本庭的结论.

管理良好的民兵是保障自由州的安全所必需的

The meaning of the phrase "well-regulated" in the 2nd amendmentFrom: Brian T. Halonen <halonen@csd.uwm.edu>The following are taken from the Oxford English Dictionary, and bracket in time the writing of the 2nd amendment:
1709: "If a liberal Education has formed in us well-regulatedAppetites and worthy Inclinations."
1714: "The practice of all well-regulated courts of justice in the world."
1812: "The equation of time ... is the adjustment of the difference of time as shown by a well-regulatedclock and a true sun dial."
1848: "A remissness for which I am sure every well-regulated person will blame the Mayor."
1862: "It appeared to her well-regulated mind, like a clandestine proceeding."
1894: "The newspaper, a never wanting adjunct to every well-regulated American embryo city."
The phrase "well-regulated" was in common use long before 1789, and remAIned so for a century thereafter. It referred to the property of something being in proper working order. Something that was well-regulated was calibrated correctly, functioning as expected. Establishing government oversight of the people's arms was not only not the intent in using the phrase in the 2nd amendment, it was precisely to render the government powerless to do so that the founders wrote it.

显而易见的是，如今人民持有枪支也不可能以此对抗国家机器了，如果将枪支管制问题简单归结为民主和人权，那欧洲众多的民主国家对枪支的严格管制就很难解释了。目前的现状是，反对枪支管制的力量一直占据上风，美国步枪协会是一个非常强势的院外集团，共和党也一直旗帜鲜明地反对管制，况且修宪在当前美国几乎不具备可能性。所以才有了《暴力犯罪和执法保护法》最终废除了“禁止攻击性武器”的条款，才有了枪支管制运动一再重复小胜利——大失败的轨迹。