The 2nd Amendment - Then and Now

Adopted in 1791 along with the remainder of the United States Bill of Rights, the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution has stood as a pillar of American Freedom.  Yet the climate of the times, then and now, has changed radically.

The available arms of early America vs those in the year 2011 are oceans apart and I can hardly fathom that our founding fathers would feel comfortable with the sweeping language they used to pen the 2nd Amendment.  “The right to bear arms” back in 1791 meant that citizens could own knives, swords and muskets, the simple arms of a simpler time. Had 1791 been able to produce the far more dangerous array of weapons available to today’s average citizen, the 2nd Amendment may have been written in far different terms or perhaps not written at all.

Food for thought... Now imagine the recent Tuscon tragedy happening all over again but only having the weapons of early America available.  And picture, too, how different the current popular unrest of Cairo, Egypt might look if it was taking place here in the United States under today’s gun laws.

Perhaps it’s time to rethink our right to bear arms, eh?  


The 2nd Amendment - Then and Now