Monday, July 7, 2008 | 2:02 a.m.
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In his Thursday commentary in the Las Vegas Sun, Dan K. Thomasson said that had the Founding Fathers known about the carnage wrought by handguns and other weapons, they might have been more careful in their wording of the Second Amendment.
Would Mr. Thomasson and those who agree with his premise say the same for the First Amendment? After all, the freedom of speech clause has been used to allow some of the most destructive free speech in history, namely pornography.
That millions of families and individual lives have been ravaged by its effects is indisputable, yet every effort to restrict it is usually met with fierce resistance. The right of free speech is inviolable, we’re told. But the term “speech” is a little vague and broad.
Maybe if the founders had known the future ability of pornographers to spread their carnage through TV, movies, music, magazines and the Internet, they would have been more careful in their wording.
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