  Guns change with the times  February 17, 2013   Once upon a
time in the 1770s a group of intelligent men decided to write a
group of rules for a new country they would call The United
States of America. They were not only statesmen, they were also
politicians which had a lot to do with the final results of the
paper they presented to the Continental Congress for adoption.
They thought the most important issues of the time were freedom
of speech and freedom of religion.  The next thing to concern
them was the right - and necessity - to bear arms. Without a
standing army, civil defense was the work of civilians. Of
course everyone was not included. There were certain rules. You
must be a freeman (not a woman!) of good character, white, and a
landowner.  And what was your choice of weapons? You might own a
set of dueling pistols to protect your honor, in case anyone
besmirched it. Hamilton and Burr stood on a hill and took
potshots at each other and we all know what happened to
Hamilton, don't we? Or you coul