Articles with history

US Supreme Court Affirms Right to Carry Arms in Public for Self-Defense

Basing its decision on detailed textual and historical analysis of the US Bill of Rights’ Second Amendment, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the US Constitution explicitly protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

The court says the “normal and ordinary” meaning of the Second Amendment’s operative clause—“the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”—guarantees the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation whether inside or outside the home.

The justices’ June 23, 2022 decision strikes down a New York state law that required gun owners to demonstrate a particular personal need before they could possibly qualify for a license allowing them to carry firearms in public.

It is now the third ruling, after the cases of Heller and McDonald, in which the high court is directly instructing lower courts that “individual self-defense is ‘the central component’ of the Second Amendment right.”

In his concurring statement, Justice Samuel Alito says, “Today, unfortunately, many Americans have good reason to fear that they will be victimized if they are unable to protect themselves. And today, no less than in 1791, the Second Amendment guarantees their right to do so.”

The Court’s ruling means that, while states may require carry permits, they must issue them to ordinary law-abiding, mentally-sound people. Ordinary people must be able to carry a personal firearm in ordinary places where people congregate. And licensing cannot be excessively delayed or expensive.

For a detailed explanation of the ruling’s legal language, see the video by attorney Andrew Branca on Law of Self Defense. Also read The Scramble on American Handgunner and Supreme Court Upholds Gun Rights Outside of the Home, Let’s Break It Down on Ammoland.

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How Does Your Character Measure Up?

One of the 5 identifying traits of the SemperVerus Brotherhood is a commitment to “BE,” which means continually developing a rich personal leadership character of exemplary moral and ethical quality.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Secure Your Base (Your Soul) ]

An article on The Art of Manliness website captures the idea. It’s an excerpt from The ROTC Infantry Manual, published in 1942. Here are a few of the listed and defined qualities:

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Be Like Ernest Shackleton ]

  • Self-Control
  • Honor, Uprightness, and Truthfulness
  • Justice, Fairness, Impartiality
  • Willingness to Accept Responsibility
  • Initiative and Vision
  • Decisiveness, Resoluteness, and Perseverance
  • Earnestness
  • Courage, Moral and Physical
  • Alertness, Quick Thinking, Presence of Mind

How are you measuring up?

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of Being ]

Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

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Inspiring Military Mottos

Image of a USA nickel bearing the words In God We TrustSemperVerus is Latin for Stay True, taking its significance from 1 Timothy 4:16 — “Stay true to what is right….”

We encourage you to use SemperVerus as your personal motto, the definition of which is a short phrase that encapsulates the ideals guiding an individual, family, or institution. To that end, we encourage you to wear the SemperVerus wristband at all times to remind you throughout your day to Stay True.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, SemperVerus and the Noble Foundation of Scouting ]

Having a personal motto is important to keep you directed toward your goals, remind you of your values, and help strengthen your character. A simple motto will help you jog your conscience to remember in an instant what’s really meaningful.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Medals of Honor and Valor ]

The United States official motto is In God We Trust, which fits so well with the SemperVerus ethos. That spurred us to create the following list of mottos used by the US Armed Forces (and a few other countries’ military units)—as well as the US Secret Service—that synchronize well with SemperVerus objectives. Consider them in light of your own personal goals.

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Secure Your Base (Your Soul)

Portrait of Carl von Clausewitz19th-century military strategist Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general who fought against Napoleon. In 1832, his book On War was published and military experts regard it even today as the definitive study of warfare.

In the novel Dr. No, Ian Fleming writes, “Clausewitz’s first principle was to have a secure base. From there one proceeds to freedom of action.” Fleming’s paraphrase of the famous war strategist’s philosophy is worth adopting. Securing your base means establishing a self-sustaining, shock-resistant “headquarters” that’s well-defended against disruptions from external forces.

In a letter written to his son, Gen. George S. Patton said, “Defeat is not due to losses but to the destruction of the soul of the leaders.”

For the SemperVerus Brotherhood, a secure base begins with a strong, healthy soul that directs your moral compass. Keep Psalm 73:26 (“Maybe my mind and body will become weak, but God is my source of strength. He is mine forever!”) before you in order to accomplish 1 Corinthians 10:13.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

Centuries ago Clausewitz wrote, “The talent of the strategist is to identify the decisive point and to concentrate everything on it, removing forces from secondary fronts and ignoring lesser objectives.”

Let’s apply his definition of strategy to the small and big decisions we make every day from the basis of securing our base:

Identify: Perceive and analyze the everyday situations you face with a worldview rooted in biblical teaching. Exercise wisdom to discern the good path from the bad path before taking action. For example, use Luke 6:31 as one of your guiding principles. In the words of the military, “intel precedes ops.”

The decisive point: Marketers call it the unique value proposition. It’s the most important, pivotal, and centralized determinant from which to organize all your decisions and actions. What’s your decisive point? How about Proverbs 4:23. And Mark 12:30-31.

Concentrate: Once your decision is made to stay true to what is right (1 Timothy 4:16) in any given situation, focus your attention on following through on it. According to military historian Basil Hart, “all the lessons of war can be reduced to a single word: concentration.” Keep looking straight ahead, without turning aside (Proverbs 4:25).

Remove: Making choices to act rightly means deciding what we will not do. Remove whatever hinders you from achieving the optimum results (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Ignore: Cultivate a disciplined mind and a steadfast character. Don’t be distracted by inferior goals. Keep your main objective to be: “staying true to what is right” (Philippians 3:13-14).

[Adapted from Von Clausewitz on War: Six Lessons for the Modern Strategist]

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[ Read the SemperVerus article, SemperVerus™ Brotherhood/Sisterhood Launches to Help People ‘Stay True’ ]

Invite SemperVerus to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

Join the SemperVerus Brotherhood™!