The Rights Of A Free State - 1118 Words

Bryce Werning Mrs. Lobenstein American Lit 2 December 2014 Amendment II â€Å"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.† The Right to Bear Arms According to the Second Amendment, in the Bill of Rights, the rights of the people to keep and bear arms have been enacted since December 15th, 1791. Across the 223 years this amendment has been around, there has been an abundance of history behind the Second Amendment. Over this time period, there have been several historical court cases that involve supporting and opposing the Second Amendment. Even today, there is still a controversial debate over the Second Amendment, and whether to allow the†¦show more content†¦In an article, The Second Amendment Timeline, the author states, â€Å"Throughout time, there will be multiple provisions and laws to interpret the amendments of history.† First, in 1934, the National Firearm Act was enacted to try and eliminate the private ownership of firearms. This was put in place to help prevent gangster violence through a $200 tax excise on guns. Then next act was the Federal Firearm Act in 1938. This act made it a requirement to be a licensed dealer to sell or ship firearms. A more recent act, the Brady Act of 1994, necessitates that you have a five-day waiting period and background check for the sale of handguns. This act also had a ban on multiple rifles and guns defined as assault weapons. And till this day history keeps making new paths through the Second Amendment. From the beginning of the ratification to the modern era, there have been many controversial and major historical court cases involving the Second Amendment. A few of these cases include the Bliss v. Commonwealth, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and McDonald v. Chicago. Bliss v. Commonwealth came into the picture in 1822 when a man was indicted for carrying a sword in a cane. He was fined $100. After his appeal and proclamation of the Second Amendment, the majority vote overturned his conviction and ruled the law unconstitutional and void. The next case, Dred Scott v. Sandford, incorporated with the slave rights as a