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Supreme Court Case: Presser V. Cruikshank

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Second Amendment and Gun Control

In recent years, the topic of gun control has become an increasing heated debate. Some think that the second amendment does not grant people with the right to bear certain guns. Others argue that under the second amendment, the right to bear arms involves all guns and that their right should not be infringed on by the federal government. Issues surrounding the interpretation of the Second Amendment has been involved in many Supreme Court cases throughout the years of the United States of America.

The first time the Supreme Court interpreted the Second Amendment was in 1876 in the case of, United States v. Cruikshank. United States v. Cruikshank was one of the earliest Supreme Court cases that involved the …show more content…

Illinois in 1886 held that states had the right to restrain and regulate private militia. This case involved Herman Presser, who was part of a militia. Presser was found guilty by the state of Illinois of parading an armed militia without the permission of the state of Illinois. The court said in its ruling, "Unless restrained by their own constitutions, state legislatures may enact statutes to control and regulate all organizations, drilling, and parading of military bodies and associations except those which are authorized by the militia laws of the United …show more content…

The Firearms Control Act of 1975 banned the ownership of handguns, automatic firearms, and unregistered possession of firearms by residents. The act also required firearms that were kept at home to be disassembled, bound by a trigger lock or unloaded. In 2008, in the Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller the court ruled that the provisions of the trigger lock and weapon ban violated the second Amendment. Moreover, that the Second Amendment grants an individual the right to hold a firearm unconnected with the service of a militia. However, the court also ruled that the registration of firearms remain in place. In addition, the cities ban on assault weapons to remain in place as well. This case was a landmark case for mostly gun right advocates. This case ruled that individuals not be restricted from possession firearms for law full purposes such as self-defense in a

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