the second amendment
The Second Amendment: In History and Today
The Second Amendment is a controversial topic today, just as it was in 1787. There are so many different interpretations on what the congress meant when originally adopting this Amendment in the first place. Through the Second Amendment, this paper looks at the intent of the writers of The Constitution and the impact of this particular Amendment today. By looking at The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and current debates presented in court cases, I intend to shed light on the debate and discuss if the intent of the writers is being met today. I also intend to shed light on whether the amendment has been taken to the extreme (In different circumstances)…or hardly enforced at all.
The Second Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights was adopted on December 15, 1791. The Second Amendment gives and protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms from infraction. The Amendment officially states, “A well regulated militia being necessary of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shell not be infringed”. Meaning that in order for the nation to be safe men must be able to keep and bear firearms. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The Second Amendment was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689. This right was described by Sir William Blackstone as an “assistant right, supporting the natural rights of self-defense, resistance to oppression, and the civic duty to act in concert in defense of the state.” Stuart Hays explains the amendment in other words by saying, “ it is with the defense and revolutionary forces that the Second Amendment concerns itself. As a part of the revolutionary force, weapons are an element of the control of men’s destiny. In the
The Second Amendment is a controversial topic today, just as it was in 1787. There are so many different interpretations on what the congress meant when originally adopting this Amendment in the first place. Through the Second Amendment, this paper looks at the intent of the writers of The Constitution and the impact of this particular Amendment today. By looking at The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and current debates presented in court cases, I intend to shed light on the debate and discuss if the intent of the writers is being met today. I also intend to shed light on whether the amendment has been taken to the extreme (In different circumstances)…or hardly enforced at all.
The Second Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights was adopted on December 15, 1791. The Second Amendment gives and protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms from infraction. The Amendment officially states, “A well regulated militia being necessary of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shell not be infringed”. Meaning that in order for the nation to be safe men must be able to keep and bear firearms. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The Second Amendment was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689. This right was described by Sir William Blackstone as an “assistant right, supporting the natural rights of self-defense, resistance to oppression, and the civic duty to act in concert in defense of the state.” Stuart Hays explains the amendment in other words by saying, “ it is with the defense and revolutionary forces that the Second Amendment concerns itself. As a part of the revolutionary force, weapons are an element of the control of men’s destiny. In the