|
|
Article: An Artifact of the 20th Century Gun Debate: Part I.
- Article from:
- Handguns
- Article date:
- August 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 InterMedia Outdoors, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The standard antigun take on the Second Amendment is that it does not guarantee the right to arms to individuals but only to the states for arming their militias. I call this the "states' right" view. In contrast the "individual right" view sees the Second Amendment as guaranteeing all responsible, law-abiding adults the right to choose to own firearms to protect themselves and their families. Tellingly, the "individual right" view is increasingly being described as the "standard model" of the Amendment because it is the view overwhelmingly embraced by the legal historians and constitutional scholars.
Long-time readers of this column will remember a crucial point ...