General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg on the Second Amendment (and Heller a bit) [View all]X_Digger
(18,585 posts)There was a not-small cadre of framers who thought the bill of right wasn't even needed-- that the government would never infringe on a right because it wasn't granted the power to do so. They worried (and apparently rightly so) that the explicit protection of some rights would cause future generations to claim that others not explicitly protected could be infringed. The compromise was the ninth and tenth amendments.
You seem to be under the mistaken impression that the bill of rights (or state constitutions) "grant" or confer rights. It doesn't.
It's right there in the preamble to the bill of rights:
[div class='excerpt']The Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution.
Abuse of whose powers? Declaratory and restrictive clauses against whom? The government. This is not a 'the people can' document, it's a 'the government shall not' document.