Second Amendment Interpretation

Words: 478
Pages: 2

Maricarmen Real

Taking Sides Issue 2.1

The Second Amendment’s Original Intention

The Second Amendment holds controversy over its meaning. There is much debate over what exactly the Second Amendment is.The Second Amendment was passed by Congress September 25,1789. It was ratified on December 15,1791. The statement“the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” (“The Second Amendment”) has different interpretations. One interpretation of the Second Amendment is that the right “to bear arms” is a collective right. The other interpretation is that the right to “keep and bear arms” is an individual’s right. The collective right interpretation is that the Second Amendment permits gun ownership only if the person is a member of a “well-regulated militia”. This interpretation shows the Second Amendment’s original purpose. Today there is a debate about the Second Amendment and its significance.The historical events
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Based on the events of the 18th century the Second Amendment meant something different.The belief of the 18th century was that only people that were organized into local militia could stop tyranny. The colonies would keep order by forming militias so that they could protect their colony. To the people that wrote it, the Second Amendment was a way to protect the stability of a republican system. The people of the 17th century believed that the militia represented a stable, well balanced government.An argument that Cress presents in the article is that, if the Second Amendment was meant to be an individual right, then the Amendment would have used terms such as “man” or “person”. Lawrence Delbert Cress argues that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution was not written to promise a citizen’s right of carrying