The Second Amendment is one of the most important rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The operative text states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms…shall not be infringed.” In spite of the clarity of this amendment, we have seen repeated, consistent, and sustained attacks on this right and efforts across the spectrum to “infringe” on this individual right.
In the Federalist No. 46, James Madison explained that because American citizens were typically armed, the federal government would be unable to exert power beyond the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Madison explained that in contrast to European nations where “the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms” the United States would rely on an armed citizenry to protect themselves, their families, and the nation.
The founders intended the Second Amendment to function as a citizen check against overreach in the event that the government started to take away civil rights guaranteed in the Constitution.
Source: C. Paul Gosar
