The History of the Second Amendment

Love and Protect is presented by KO Fitness and Firearms. Life is precious. Take safety into your own hands. 

(NATIONAL) “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.”  

For a lot of people, the right to bear arms is synonymous with freedom. According to the latest Pew research, about three-quarters of gun owners (74 percent) say it is an essential right. Protection is the top reason for owning a gun (at 67 percent) followed by hunting (38 percent). 

So where did this right come from? Let’s travel back a couple of centuries. 

The Revolutionary War 

The Revolutionary War, also known as the American Revolution, lasted from 1775 to 1783. You know the story. After setting up shop in the New World, colonists got used to England barely enforcing their trade and lax laws. When England changed their mind and began not only strictly enforcing them but also enacting new ones, the colonists did not appreciate it. They had become independent. 

The colonies said England had no right to tax them because they had no representation in British Parliament. 

Shortly after, all-out war. 

America won and needed a founding document. James Madison is credited with penning the US Constitution during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but it was actually a joint effort by several contributors for many months. 

And it still wasn’t thorough enough. Enter the Bill of Rights, ten amendments officially added to the Constitution in 1791. 

The right to bear arms was second on the list. 

The Second Amendment’s Original Purpose

What is a militia? Back during the Revolutionary War, militias were necessary to protect the early communities. These were groups of men who came together to stand against various threats. Before war was officially declared, it was these militiamen who stood against the British.

After the war, there were a lot of people who didn’t want to rely on centralized government protection. The militiamen were independent, and they wanted to remain that way. They wanted to make sure they were in control of their own protection. 

Over the centuries, the militias disbanded. But the need for self-sufficient protection remained. 

The second half of the Second Amendment is what many prioritize: “The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  

US citizens don’t typically have to depend on militias for safety and protection anymore. We have local police and sheriff’s departments for that. But for those who live in rural communities or who have had adverse experiences with their local law enforcement, that Second Amendment right may be considered a necessary component in their survival plans. 

New Laws on Guns 

There has been a lot of firearm legislation passed during the last hundred years. The most noteworthy are the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) and the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. 

The NFA taxed the making and transferring of certain guns and required the registration of certain firearms with the Secretary of the Treasury.

The GCA prohibited mail order sales of rifles and shotguns and prohibiting most felons, drug users and people found mentally incompetent from buying guns.

The Brady Bill is another high-profile federal gun control effort passed in 1993. The law requires a five-day wait period for gun buying so authorities can check the purchaser’s background. Many congressmen opposed the bill, saying it violated the Second Amendment. 

“Red states” are typically pro-gun. These states are also often at odds with the federal government, citing federal overreach on a regular basis. But even states like Oklahoma have incorporated laws like the Brady Act into their own. 

Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement 

Gun violence among unsafe individuals in heavily populated areas remains a growing concern nationwide, but the phrase “gun control” is not as appreciated in rural communities. After all, gun ownership is guaranteed protection the moment it is needed.  

That’s a major reason “Second Amendment Sanctuary States” are sprouting up around the country.  

Oklahoma passed its own Second Amendment Sanctuary State Act in 2021. 

It reads in part, “Any federal, state, county or municipal act, law, executive  order, administrative order, court order, rule, policy or regulation  ordering the buy-back, confiscation or surrender of firearms,  firearm accessories or ammunition from law-abiding citizens of this state shall be considered an infringement on the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the  Constitution of the United States and Article II, Section 26 of the  Constitution of Oklahoma."

The act also includes the provisions of the NFA and GCA.

After more than two hundred years, the Second Amendment is a protected right many throughout the country continue to exercise. The right to bear arms is deeply ingrained in American citizenship, essential to feeling truly free. 

Presented by KO Fitness and Firearms- not just dedicated to creating customers. We want to help create peace of mind and security for life.