The Second Amendment Page

The Second Amendment is probably the most controversial amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Arguments rage about its meaning. Does it mean that indvidual citizens have the right to own their own guns? Or, does it mean that only the government can own guns, and issue them to the "Militia" as necessary? If individuals do have the right to own guns, what is the purpose? Is it so that we can hunt for food or defend ourselves against criminals? Or, is it so we can defend ourselves against a government that may turn tyrannical? The following articles and quotes may help shed some light.

Please note though, that this page is still in its construction stage. Check back often for updates.

"I consider and fear the natural propensity of rulers to oppress the people. I wish only to prevent them from doing evil . . . . Divine providence has given to every individual the means of self-defense."
--George Mason, "Father of the Bill of Rights"
"[T]o preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
--Richard Henry Lee, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, a Framer of the Second Amendment in the First Congress
"The right of self defence is the first law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to confine this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever . . . the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any color of pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction."
--St. George Tucker, attorney and military officer during the American Revolution
"The next amendment is: 'A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.' The importance of this article will scarcely be doubted by any persons who have duly reflected upon the subject . . . . The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them . . . . There is certainly no small danger that indifference may lead to disgust, and disgust to contempt, and thus gradually undermine all the protection intended by this clause of our National Bill of Rights."
--Joseph Story, participant in the Boston Tea Party and founder of Harvard Law School
"And what country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."
--Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President
"Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of." --James Madison, from the Federalist papers
"The calls for more gun control are simply a way for people who are clueless to look like they have some idea of how to solve a problem."
--Aaron Zelman, executive director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.

The Why of Gun Ownership
Something happened in Buffalo, New York, late last year that contradicts the propaganda of those who support "gun control"—. . .
By James Ostrowski
Gun Group Wants 'Equal Time' From Boston Globe
A trade association for the firearms industry is pressing the Boston Globe to give it "equal time," after the newspaper ran a 1,550-word editorial hailing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's lawsuits against various gun dealers.
By Susan Jones
Scandal Shows Why Gun-Control Schemes Can't Be Trusted, Group Says
A Second Amendment group says a scandal involving members of Sen. Chuck Schumer's staff shows why the Democrat's gun control schemes cannot be trusted.
By Susan Jones
Report on .50-Caliber Firearms Seen As Encouraging Terrorists
A Second Amendment group is criticizing CNN for airing a report that explains how .50-caliber rifles might be misused used by terrorists.
By Susan Jones
DOJ Memo: 2nd Amendment is Individual Right
The U.S. Department of Justice has declared that the Second Amendment explicitly recognizes the right of individual Americans to own and carry firearms. Gun rights advocates call the statement a "good first step" but cautioned that it is not the end of the gun control debate.
By Jeff Johnson
Is it time to re-think the idea of gun-free zones? A concealed carry activist from Ohio reflects on history and the recent shooting spree at a Columbus nightclub, and his conclusions might surprise you.
Defense Bill
The House moves to restore gun rights in the District of Columbia.
by John Fund
2nd Amendment activist: No Beslans in U.S.
Says school gun ban leaves nation vulnerable to Russian-type tragedy.
Follow the leader
Dave Kopel on Israel, Thailand preventing terror by arming teachers.
Ad for Anti-Gun Rally Links Students With 'Assault Weapons'
A full-page ad in Monday's Washington Post implies that "unless President Bush acts" soon, children will bring "assault weapons" to school in the fall.
By Susan Jones
Win-Win
No gun-suit immunity, no assault-weapons ban.
By Michael I. Krauss & Robert A. Levy
Senate Votes Down Gun Liability Bill
In a vote of 90-8, the Senate Tuesday voted against the gun liability bill (S. 1805) after Democrats loaded it with amendments, including the reauthorization of a ban on so-called assault weapons.
By Melanie Hunter
Bush seeks protection for gun dealers
President Bush urged the Senate to pass a bill that would protect gun dealers and manufacturers from frivolous lawsuits but without any amendments that would extend the assault-weapons ban or close gun-show loopholes.
By Brian DeBose
Gun Group Defends Homeowner Who Stopped Burglar With Bullet
A pro-Second Amendment group calls it outrageous that a suburban Chicago homeowner faces criminal charges for defending his family - by shooting a burglar who broke into his home several times.
By Susan Jones
Supreme Court Refuses to Confirm Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
The Supreme Court disappointed gun rights groups Monday by refusing to consider whether the Constitution guarantees people a personal right to own a gun.
Concealed Carry Permits Fire up Debate Over Workplace Shootings
In the crime blotter from Dec. 26, 2000, Louis "Sandy" Javelle's name appeared alongside those of six other victims who had been shot to death by a disgruntled co-worker at Edgewater Technologies, Inc., in Wakefield, Mass.
By Jeff Johnson
Dems Tout Second Amendment, but Voting Records Show Hostility
A year before the 2004 presidential election, major Democratic candidates have moderated their rhetoric on firearms, trying not to alienate voters who own guns, while also carefully reassuring liberal voters of their continued support for gun control.
By Robert B. Bluey
Anti-Gun Activists Tout 'Cure' for 'NRA Mad Sheep Disease'
Angry that a bi-partisan group of 55 senators is cosponsoring legislation to prohibit lawsuits against gun makers and sellers for the actions of criminals, anti-gun activists swarmed the hallways of Senate office buildings Thursday offering a "cure" for "Mad NRA Sheep Disease."
By Jeff Johnson
Missouri Supreme Court Refuses Concealed Weapons Case
The Missouri Supreme Court refused on Monday to remove a temporary injunction against a new concealed carry law, saying an appeal would be allowed later if the injunction - put in place by a St. Louis judge last week - becomes permanent.
By Jon E. Dougherty
Reject UN Gun Control
Perhaps the biggest threat to gun rights in America today comes not from domestic lawmakers, but from abroad. Even as support for gun control wanes at home, globalist bureaucrats are working to override national sovereignty and craft international gun laws.
by Rep. Ron Paul
Daschle supports pro-gun bill
Measure bans lawsuits against firearms industry.
Opposing Lawmakers Unite on Background Check Improvements
What do you get when you put a current and former board member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the same room with two of the most vehemently anti-gun members of the House and Senate? On Thursday, the answer to that question was: agreement.
By Jeff Johnson
Gun 'Safety' Law Unsafe, Interest Group Says
The Law Enforcement Alliance of America is blasting California Gov. Gray Davis for signing a gun control bill that effectively bans the sale of many new handguns commonly used by law enforcement officers and citizens for self-defense.
By Susan Jones
Gun-rights activists to gather in Houston
Annual conference will feature LaPierre, Rep. Paul, others.
The Gun-Control Tide Is Turning
Advocates of the right to keep and bear arms have modest reason to celebrate these days.
by Scott McPherson
Pro-Gun Advocates Say Gun Control Group Proves Their Point
A Second Amendment rights group said Thursday that information publicized by a gun control group proves the pro-gun argument that regulating the behavior of law-abiding citizens does little or nothing to prevent crimes committed by outlaws using firearms.
By Jeff Johnson
NRA files brief in high-court gun case
'Silveira v. Lockyer' seen as potential landmark 2nd Amendment ruling.
By Jon Dougherty
Second Amendment Cases Full of 'Legal Trickery'
A senior official with a pro-Second Amendment group is charging gun control advocates of manipulating the legal system to find better venues for cases involving firearm manufacturers and whether they should be held liable in cases where guns are used to commit crimes.
By Jeff Johnson
Republican Senator Wants to Scrap DC Gun Ban
The District of Columbia's ban on firearms, which prompted the filing of two lawsuits earlier this year, is now the target of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who wants to let city residents carry guns for self-defense.
By Robert B. Bluey
U.N. seeking global gun control?
Conference moving toward plan that would regulate U.S. arms.
Democrats shy about guns?
Analyst says candidates avoid discussion because it harms party.
Second Amendment Opponents Attack Dean's Gun Policy
Activists opposed to Americans' constitutional right to keep and bear arms have blasted Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean for supporting what the former Vermont governor calls "sensible gun laws."
By Jeff Johnson
Bush Supports Semi-auto Gun Ban
Many of President George W. Bush’s strongest Republican supporters are stunned. So are many of his Democrat opponents. Neither expected him to flip-flop on a core issue like gun control. Yet, on April 12th, the Washington Post reported that White House spokesman Scott McClellan had stated: "The president supports the [semi-auto ban], and he supports reauthorization of the current law."
Good Kids With Guns
Advocates of gun control are inclined to portray firearms in the worst possible light while ignoring the positive aspects of gun ownership and use. They will, for example, focus on the million or so violent gun incidents committed by offenders annually, while disregarding the estimated 2.5 million-plus successful defensive uses of firearms each year.
by Robert W. Lee
CNN 'backpedals' on gun story
Admits it misled viewers in comparing different types of weapons.
Dead on arrival
The first thing you have to understand about proposed gun legislation in Washington is that it isn't necessarily proposed to get passed. Not when it can be used as voter bait during a presidential election.
by Debra Saunders
Author Accuses Media of Intentional Bias Against Guns
The author of the most comprehensive and controversial research on civilian use of firearms against criminals defended his latest work in Washington on Monday.
By Jeff Johnson
Will House take up renewal of gun ban?
GOP's Hastert 'not ready' to support, oppose 'assault weapons' bill.
By Jon Dougherty
The British Gun Closet
Slowly, the country is learning the hard way.
by Dave Kopel
Liberal Democrats Threaten Filibuster of Gun Suit Bill
Six liberal Senate Democrats threatened Tuesday to filibuster a bill that would prohibit lawsuits against gun makers, dealers, sellers and importers for the illegal actions of criminals who misuse their products.
By Jeff Johnson
Gun maker liable in shooting of boy
Jury also slaps parents, baby sitter with judgments in civil suit.
By Jon Dougherty
Coalition targets ban on semi-automatics
'No compromise' group says gun-control politicians will pay price.
By Jon Dougherty
Gun-control senators cheer Bush
Feinstein, Schumer welcome president's stance on firearm ban.
By Jon Dougherty
Citizens Mount Constitutional Challenges to D.C. Gun Ban
While city officials want Rich Heller to carry a gun to protect federal judges on government property, they have barred him from possessing a similar gun in his own home to protect himself and his family from criminals in his high-crime neighborhood.
By Jeff Johnson
Gun Control Groups Pin Hopes on Liberal Senate Dems
Opponents of gun rights - reeling from Wednesday's lopsided vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to ban lawsuits seeking to hold gun makers accountable for the actions of criminals who misuse their products - are now counting on a minority of liberal Democrats in the Senate to block the legislation.
By Jeff Johnson
Bang Bang, Your Suit's Dead
Two courtroom wins for the Second Amendment.
BY COLLIN LEVEY
The Growing Triumph of the Second Amendment
Something happened in Buffalo recently that contradicts the propaganda of those who support “gun control” — the control of law-abiding people who wish to own a gun for protection against the assorted nefarious elements in this world. A citizen actually used a gun, a shotgun, to defend his home and his family against armed intruders.
by James Ostrowski
'Landmark' Ruling Attacks Right to Bear Arms
A federal appeals court ruling upholding California's ban on assault rifles was being portrayed Friday as a landmark in the constitutional debate over the right to bear arms.
Should We Trust Feds with Guns?
Most who oppose the individual right to armed self-defense believe that only "public servants" such as police and military personnel should be trusted to carry firearms. This assumes that government personnel — unlike civilians — are paragons of sober propriety. Two recent news stories illustrate that this is hardly the case.
More gun control, please
Larry Elder has some questions for the Second Amendment-challenged.
Gun Owners Are First Line of Homeland Defense
Many gun owners believe that true homeland security comes from having an armed citizenry, and they harbor skepticism about whether President Bush's proposed homeland security agency will respect gun-owning civilians enough to include them in homeland security efforts.
By Christine Hall
Two-Year-Old Fed Letter Fans Gun-Grabbers' Hopes
Skating on thin ice in their lawsuit against a gun maker, 12 California municipalities have trotted out a two-year old letter as evidence that the defendant failed to check on some of the dealers selling their products.
by Phil Brennan
Would MLK, RFK Have Supported Gun Control?
A national gun control group is using the legacies of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote their political agenda, but one prominent black conservative says King would not have championed gun control measures.
By Christine Hall
The Radical Amendment
Want sensible gun regulation? Start by backing the right to bear arms.
BY EUGENE VOLOKH
Targeting gun makers
Geoff Metcalf talks to Lawrence Keane about firearm litigation.
Annie, Get Your Gun
Women with firearms help make America safer.
BY COLLIN LEVEY