Arms control Second Amendment

Ever since then, gun control advocates have argued that the Second Amendment thus applies only to bearing arms as part of an organized militia, which today is the National Guard ... 

This decision is rather confusing. Some gun control advocates say that it means that the right to bear arms is not protected at all by the Second Amendment. Gun rights advocates, however, say that it is simply a statement of the basic doctrine that the Constitution does not create rights but declares or affirms rights arising out of the common or natural law. 

In U.S. V. Miller the Supreme Court rejects an appeal by stating that it had been given no evidence that a sawed-off shotgun was suitable for use in a militia, and because it is not, carrying it would not be protected by the Second Amendment. Because the decision also implied an individual right to bear military-type arms, it would be cited by both supporters and opponents of gun control. 

LaPierre s latest advocacy of gun rights takes place in the context of the post-September 11, 2001 world. Along with a defense of the historical meaning of the Second Amendment and assertions about bias and venal politics on the part of gun control advocates, the author argues for arming airline pilots and suggests that armed, prepared citizens are a vital part of the defense against terrorism. 

Cottrol, Robert J., and Raymond T. Diamond. The Second Amendment Toward an Afro-Americanist Reconsideration. Georgetown Law Journal, vol. 809, December 1991, pp. 309-361. Suggests that while African-American intellectuals have generally followed the pro-gun control stance of modern liberals, the authors suggest that in the light of the historical failure of the government to protect African Americans, the Second Amendment s concept of an armed citizenry may still be valid. 

Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms URL www.crkba.org E-mail info ccrkba.org Phone (425) 454-4911 Liberty Park 12500 NE 10th Place Bellevne, WA 98005 Anti-gun control group emphasizing Second Amendment issues. 

Much of the legal debate over gun control measures involves their constitutionality. The federal constitution and many state constitutions contain guarantees of the right to keep and bear arms. When a state gun control law is challenged, it is the state constitution that comes into play because the Second Amendment of the federal constitution has not been applied to the states. 

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