eye95
Well-known member
The 2A restricts the behavior of government. In that sense, it protects the enumerated Right.
What are the arms mentioned in the 2A? It does not specifically say, so we must look to the historical context for the answer. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is not new to the US. It existed in England prior to colonization. The idea came here with English colonists. The origin of the English RKBA were laws that created a Duty to Keep and Bear Arms. Those arms were originally swords, later bows and arrows, later yet crossbows, and finally firearms. Clearly the arms covered by the duty and later by the Right were the arms that typically have personal civilian uses but, in a pinch, could be used as one's personal military weapon.
At the time of the Framing, that would have included knives, long guns, hand guns, and ammunition. We can look to the militia laws of the time for a list of arms that militia members were required to own. Today's analogs are knives, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and the like. Oh, and the ammo to feed them.
What are the arms mentioned in the 2A? It does not specifically say, so we must look to the historical context for the answer. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is not new to the US. It existed in England prior to colonization. The idea came here with English colonists. The origin of the English RKBA were laws that created a Duty to Keep and Bear Arms. Those arms were originally swords, later bows and arrows, later yet crossbows, and finally firearms. Clearly the arms covered by the duty and later by the Right were the arms that typically have personal civilian uses but, in a pinch, could be used as one's personal military weapon.
At the time of the Framing, that would have included knives, long guns, hand guns, and ammunition. We can look to the militia laws of the time for a list of arms that militia members were required to own. Today's analogs are knives, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and the like. Oh, and the ammo to feed them.