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Is it Constitutional to Bare Arms? Essay examples

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Is it Constitutional to Bare Arms?

“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.” These are the words of the second amendment as written by our forefathers. The question weather it is constitutionally legal or not has been debated for many years. In order to understand the true meaning of the above statement one must look back at the history surrounding it. The Bill of Rights was written over two hundred years ago, and much has changed over that period of time. Therefore, one must examine the language of the text again keeping in mind when it was written. I believe that it is constitutionally legal for individual citizens who are cable …show more content…

Today, according to American Heritage dictionary the meaning of militia is, “A military force that is not part of a regular army and is subject to call for service in an emergency.” Though this is true, George Mason, a Virginia delegate to the Constitutionally Convention who pushed for the Bill of Rights, stated, “I ask. Who are the militia? … They consist now of the whole people, except for a few public officers” (Glaberson). We know that all the people at the Founding Fathers times were part of the ‘militia’ because they were fighting for their freedom. The way they have lived life and they way we are living our lives is totally different but the purpose behind the Second Amendment should not be forgotten.

There have been many cases where the meaning of the Second Amendment illustration took place. For example in the 1886 the Supreme Court heard Presser vs. Illinois. Mr. Justice Woods declared that, “It is undoubtedly true that all citizens’ capable of bearing arums constitute the reserved military force or reserve militia of the United States, as well as that of the states…” (LaCourse). And in the case of United States vs. Miller, the controversial subject of the ‘militia’ was, yet again, brought up. The Supreme court stated, “These [documents] show plainly enough that the Militia comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert of the common sense” (LaCourse).

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