2nd Amendment
What Does the Militia Act of 1792 Tell Us About the Second Amendment?
Whenever a debate comes up relating to the Second Amendment, somebody inevitably asserts that the right to keep and bear arms only applies to members of the National Guard. They come to this conclusion based on the first clause of the Second Amendment – “A...
Why the Founders Wanted You to Own Military-Style Weapons
Two hundred and twenty-seven years ago this month, the U.S. Congress passed the Militia Acts of 1792. This pair of bills authorized the president to lead the state militias in war and to conscript all able-bodied free men to fight with self-provided arms and...
The founder who told Americans we have a right to military weapons
Does the Constitutionโs right to keep and bear arms apply to everyone? Or only to law enforcement and the National Guard? Does the right include so-called โassault weapons?โ A newly published document from Americaโs founding offers a clue. When interpreting the...
The meaning of “militia” in the Second Amendment
This is the second article examining contributions to our understanding of the Constitution from the three brand new volumes of theย Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution of the United States. Myย first articleย observed that probably the greatest...