Clarification of FACT: The Amendments to the Constitution, ie, the Bill of Rights, that guaranteed citizens' rights and freedoms, are not rights granted to the individual FROM government, rather they are expressly the individual's inalienable rights! In other words, these are rights that can only be transferred with the consent of the person possessing those rights. A result of the Founding Fathers exhaustive study of history, the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Protestant Reformation, thinkers such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau and the single most important influence that shaped the founding of the United States, the writings from John Locke. Remember, in the view of many colonists, British rule suppressed political, economic, and religious freedoms. Many of those that hesitated to support independence were soon convinced by the passionate words of Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and eventually John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (The Federalist Papers). The Bill of Rights helps to define the American political system and the government's relationship to its citizens. Do not easily surrender you rights because of a horrific incident. Think. Learn. Decisions made today can and will have major impact on future generations. Did you study history enough to usurp the intentions of the Founders? Perhaps a major issue with society today is that we have moved too far away from the intent of the Founders?