The Second Amendment and the Bill of Rights - Part One

"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."

There is so much misinformation and deception involving the Second Amendment from the anti-gun crowd. So much talk of “collective rights” or “the Second Amendment is anachronistic” or other lines of blatherskite.

What is the true purpose behind the Second Amendment? What is it really saying? What does it guarantee? How does hunting and self-defense fit in with this militia thing? What kind of "arms" does it protect?

As we investigate, let’s keep in mind that the Second Amendment is part of a larger group of freedoms know as the Bill of Rights. Understanding the background of the Bill of Rights is essential to understanding the purpose and scope of the Second Amendment.

Delegates gathered in Pennsylvania, in May of 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. They ended up producing our Constitution. Not every delegate to the convention appreciated this new constitution. George Mason, a delegate from Virginia, wrote, "The Eyes of the United States are turned upon this Assembly and their Expectations raised to a very anxious Degree." He left the convention bitterly disappointed, and became one of the Constitution's most vocal opponents - because it had no declaration of rights. Mason felt it was too dangerous to have this strong central government without making sure the Federal government would not violate God-given individual rights.

George Mason, by the way, was the author, of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (he was assisted by James Madison). This Declaration strongly influenced Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence.

In the end, James Madison ended up playing the key role in drafting the amendments that would become the Bill of Rights. These were based upon the Virginia Declaration of Rights. George Mason and the Anti-Federalists had prevailed.

Most of us are somewhat familiar with the Declaration of Independence, but what was this Virginia Declaration of Rights, and how is it tied into the Second Amendment? For that matter, how is the Declaration of Independence tied into the Second Amendment, or the rest of the Bill of Rights?

As we move on into Part Two, we will examine the Virginia Declaration.

Tags: 2nd Amendment , Bill of Rights , History