I just read an article written by Dick Metcalf in the Guns&Ammo magazine. A magazine that I have been a subscriber to for many years.  Mr. Metcalf is the technical editor for the magazine and has been well known in the firearms industry for many years. In this article he discusses his thoughts and standing on the 2nd Amendment and the semantic argument over regulation and infringement of the 2nd Amendment and firearms ownership. He starts off with the passage; “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.”  First, if you look at firearms laws on the books, many of these laws are an infringement at some point of the “Right to Keep and Bear Arms”. Look at the passage Mr. Metcalf points to in his article as it reads. Regulated here is directed at a State Militia not the regulation of the individual. “Regulated Militia” Then we see the part about infringement; “The right of the people shall not be infringed.” Infringed is directed at the people not the state Militia. “The Right of The People” The 2nd Amendment, “Right of the people to Keep and Bear Arms” has been infringed upon many times under the terms of regulation. No where in the 2nd Amendment does it specify the type of arms or any regulations on them (I.E. magazine capacity, caliber, arms type, training requirements, and so on). In resent years we have taken back some of the regulation/infringement on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Today every state in the union has some type of concealed carry law allowing the individual to go armed for the purposes of defense. We have come a long way and we are gaining back some of the ground lost through “Regulation”. Granted we do need laws. We are a nation of laws. In truth, the right of the people to keep and bear arms has been infringed upon many times. When it comes to training the amount and level of training a person needs should be left to the individual. Training requirements are regulation and are infringement. Once the minimum amount training has been received to meet the regulated requirements it is up to the individual to continue with the training and preparation for an event we hope never happens in our lives. It goes to the level of personal responsibility and the level of internal motivation to train within all of us. As a trainer I believe we should all, as responsible gun owners, train to attain the highest level of proficiency and preparedness as possible within our means.  The problem comes when bureaucrats go to excess to make it more complicated, and for some near impossible, for the responsible people to acquire a permit to carry in an attempt to limit. My thoughts are that Illinois has done just that with the 16 hours training requirement and high cost. Any regulation or restriction is infringement. I disagree with Mr. Metcalf. I won’t boycott the magazine or call for his dismissal but he has stepped out of the room on this one.tm012012-01