12-16-2013, 12:43 PM
I guess it depends on who you listen to HotD.
the National Archives contains a three comma version
And the Library of Congress, also shows the ratified version with one comma'
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?col...recNum=144
The difference between the 1 comma and 3 commas, from what I am reading , is this.
The first unusual comma– between "Militia" and "being"– forces the reader to search for a verb for which "Militia" is the subject. That verb does not appear until "shall not be infringed" near the end of the Amendment. The second unusual comma– between "Arms" and "shall"– sets off the verb phrase "shall not be infringed" from the preceding language; it suggests that the subject for this verb phrase is not simply "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms." The grammatical effect of these two unusual commas is to link "A well regulated Militia" to "shall not be infringed" to emphasize, in other words, that the goal of the Amendment is to protect the militia against federal interference.
the National Archives contains a three comma version
And the Library of Congress, also shows the ratified version with one comma'
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?col...recNum=144
The difference between the 1 comma and 3 commas, from what I am reading , is this.
The first unusual comma– between "Militia" and "being"– forces the reader to search for a verb for which "Militia" is the subject. That verb does not appear until "shall not be infringed" near the end of the Amendment. The second unusual comma– between "Arms" and "shall"– sets off the verb phrase "shall not be infringed" from the preceding language; it suggests that the subject for this verb phrase is not simply "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms." The grammatical effect of these two unusual commas is to link "A well regulated Militia" to "shall not be infringed" to emphasize, in other words, that the goal of the Amendment is to protect the militia against federal interference.