Research Conversation

         So Charles (my little brother), I'm doing this research project for English, and can you guess what I'm doing it on? The Second Amendment: the right to keep and bear arms. I wanted to know what had started  the argument over gun control, so I had to come up with a question to write my paper on. So I fiddled with wording and all of that until I came to "what were the original intentions of the Second Amendment and have we strayed from them?"So far, the primary sources have been the most helpful because they answer the first part of my research question directly. I've found tons of information including quotes, papers, and earlier interpretations to show the original intentions. However, the second part of my question is harder to answer straight from sources. I have to analyze modern opinions and actions to reach a conclusion. All that being said, I think that the original intentions were for the people to be able to stand up to their government and to have the tools equal to those in power in the possession of every citizen. I also find that we have strayed form that quite a bit, as many people today believe in strict gun control,  and some would have us believe that the amendment applies to collective groups such as the National Guard or Police Departments, not the the individual citizens.

          The debate over the Second Amendment has been heated and drawn out since shortly after its ratification. I was curious to find out what had spurred such a debate, and after reading through varied interpretations of the right to keep and bear arms, I composed a question: "What were the original intentions of the Second Amendment, and have we strayed from them?" In order to answer the first part of my question, I turned to primary sources, such as the Federalist Papers and the Militia Act of 1792. From them, I found those original intentions. According to James Madison (the author of the Amendment itself) the advantage of being trusted with firearms is one the American people hold over those of most every other nation. According to Thomas Jefferson, your firearm should be your most constant companion. According to George Washington, guns are of import near that of the Constitution itself. From there I moved on to secondary sources. People argue many points on this prominent issue, but the one most opposed to the original intentions is the wish for stricter gun control and the idea that the Second Amendment would not apply to individuals, but to collective groups such as the National Guard, Police Department, or a government organized militia. Therefore, I believe that the Framers intended every citizen to have access to arms, and we have veered dangerously away from their vision.