Some History
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"—George Santayana, in The Life of Reason, volume 1
In order to better discern the validity and applicability of the various arguments, it will help to understand some history.
We might start by asking, "Why were the founders so obsessed with the right to bear arms?" The Second Amendment is, after all, only second to the First Amendment. If you read the writings of that period of time, you will find that the answer is pretty clear, but quite different from many of the reasons given today for possessing firearms. You will find that:
- The Founding Fathers were generally NOT avid hunters.
- They were NOT, as a rule, heavily involved in competitive shooting sports.
- They were NOT primarily concerned about defending themselves from muggers, rapists, or burglars.
So what on earth would make them so adamant, and so able to get a consensus, that the "right to keep and bear arms" must not be infringed?
