Second Amendment Rights

In the Second Amendment to the Constitution, it states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

What exactly this amendment means, and what is the nature, purpose and intention of this “right to bear arms” (these “second amendment rights”) have become increasingly contested matters (see gun rights).  

The question behind that amendment -- what the framers of the Constitution intended it to mean -- fuels much of the controversy over gun ownership. Some believe the amendment was intended to affirm individual rights to keep and bear arms while limiting the government’s ability to restrict and regulate them. Others read the amendment as preventing the federal government from overriding each state’s right to self-defense.

As a result, participants in ongoing debates over gun rights, gun control, and gun violence use these phrases with strikingly different connotations and meanings. While some have proposed repealing the Second Amendment, others see this as a severe threat on the liberty of the American people.

 

QUESTIONS TO PLAY WITH:

-Do you see the right to bear arms as a crucial right in this country that deserves to be protected?  If so, share why.  If not share why.  

-Some have suggested the second amendment be repealed. How does that proposition sound to you?  

-What do you understand the original intent of the Second Amendment was - and is that original intent still relevant today?