Discover the truth about the Second Amendment, the NRA, and the United States’ centuries-long fight over guns in this first-of-its-kind book for middle grade readers. "A compelling, clear analysis of one of our country’s oldest dilemmas: how to balance gun rights with public safety. It tells the full and true story of the Second Amendment, and points to a way to bring sanity to our gun laws. A remarkable primer for all ages." —Michael Waldman, author of The Second Amendment: A Biography For the majority of the United States’ history, the right to own a gun belonged to a “well regulated militia.” That changed in 2008 with the historic District of Columbia v. Heller case, which ruled that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right. In the years since, the debate over gun legislation has reached a crescendo. And the issue grows ever relevant to children across America, with an estimated three million exposed to shootings every year. From metal detectors to see-through backpacks to shooting drills, kids face daily reminders of the threat of guns. Hana Bajramovic's Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns reveals how a once obscure amendment became the focus of daily heated debate. Filled with historical photos and informative graphics, the book will show young readers how gun legislation has always been a part of American history and how money, power, and systemic racism have long dictated our ability to own guns. A Junior Library Guild Selection "Hana Bajramovic provides readers with a compelling overview on the history of guns in the United States and the changing, conflicting interpretations of the Second Amendment certain to stimulate conversation and thinking on the part of future generations." —Award-winning author Doreen Rappaport

"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." —Amendment II, United States Constitution The Second Amendment is regularly invoked by opponents of gun control, but H. Richard Uviller and William G. Merkel argue the amendment has nothing to contribute to debates over private access to firearms. In The Militia and the Right to Arms, or, How the Second Amendment Fell Silent, Uviller and Merkel show how postratification history has sapped the Second Amendment of its meaning. Starting with a detailed examination of the political principles of the founders, the authors build the case that the amendment's second clause (declaring the right to bear arms) depends entirely on the premise set out in the amendment's first clause (stating that a well-regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state). The authors demonstrate that the militia envisioned by the framers of the Bill of Rights in 1789 has long since disappeared from the American scene, leaving no lineal descendants. The constitutional right to bear arms, Uviller and Merkel conclude, has evaporated along with the universal militia of the eighteenth century. Using records from the founding era, Uviller and Merkel explain that the Second Amendment was motivated by a deep fear of standing armies. To guard against the debilitating effects of militarism, and against the ultimate danger of a would-be Caesar at the head of a great professional army, the founders sought to guarantee the existence of well-trained, self-armed, locally commanded citizen militia, in which service was compulsory. By its very existence, this militia would obviate the need for a large and dangerous regular army. But as Uviller and Merkel describe the gradual rise of the United States Army and the National Guard over the last two hundred years, they highlight the nation's abandonment of the militia ideal so dear to the framers. The authors discuss issues of constitutional interpretation in light of radically changed social circumstances and contrast their position with the arguments of a diverse group of constitutional scholars including Sanford Levinson, Carl Bogus, William Van Alstyne, and Akhil Reed Amar. Espousing a centrist position in the polarized arena of Second Amendment interpretation, this book will appeal to those wanting to know more about the amendment's relevance to the issue of gun control, as well as to those interested in the constitutional and political context of America's military history.

Stephen P. Halbrook's The Founders' Second Amendment is the first book-length account of the origins of the Second Amendment, based on the Founders' own statements as found in newspapers, correspondence, debates, and resolutions. Mr. Halbrook investigates the period from 1768 to 1826, from the last years of British rule and the American Revolution through to the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the passing of the Founders' generation. His book offers the most comprehensive analysis of the arguments behind the drafting and adoption of the Second Amendment, and the intentions of the men who created it.

A radical case for the repeal of the 2nd Amendment as the only way to control gun violence in America There's an average of one mass shooting per day in the United States. Given the ineffectiveness of the gun control lobby, it's time for a strategy with spine. In Repeal the Second Amendment, Allan J. Lichtman has written the first book that uses history, legal theory and up-to-the-minute data to make a compelling case for the amendment’s repeal in order to create a clear road to sensible gun control in the US. Repeal the Second Amendment explores both the true history and current interpretation of the Second Amendment to expose the NRA’s blatant historical manipulations and irresponsible fake news releases. Lichtman looks at the history of firearms and gun regulations from colonial times to the present to explain how a historically forgotten sentence in the Constitution has become a flash point of recent politics that benefits only the gun industry, their lobbyists, and the politicians on their payroll. He probes court decisions and the effective lobbying and public relations strategies of the gun lobby as well as the ineffectiveness of the gun control movement for lessons in doing better. What emerges is a clear and cogent plan--repeal and replace the Second Amendment without taking guns away from anyone who has them now--to make the US a safer place. It's time to Repeal the Second Amendment, and Allan Lichtman is the man to bring this radical plan to America.

Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook on CasebookConnect, including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities, plus an outline tool and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes. Learn more about Connected eBooks. The right to keep and bear arms evokes great controversy. To some, it is a bulwark against tyranny and criminal violence; to others, it is an anachronism and serious danger. Firearms Law and the Second Amendment is the leading casebook and scholarly treatise on arms law. It provides a comprehensive domestic and international treatment of the history of arms law. In-depth coverage of modern federal and state laws and litigation prepare students to be practice-ready for firearms cases. The book covers legal history from ninth-century England through the United States in 2021. It examines arms laws and culture in broad social context, ranging from racial issues to technological advances. Seven online chapters cover arms laws in global historical context, from Confucian times to the present. The online chapters also discuss arms law and policy relating to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other statuses and how firearms and ammunition work. New to the Third Edition: Important cases and new regulatory issues since the 2017 second edition, including public carry, limits on in-home possession, bans on types of arms, non-firearm arms (like knives or sprays), Red Flag laws, and restoration of firearms rights Expanded social science and criminological data about firearms ownership and crimes Deeper coverage of state arms control laws and constitutional provisions Extended analysis of how Native American firearm policies and skills shaped interactions with European-Americans, provided the tools for three centuries of resistance, and became a foundation of American arms culture The latest research on English legal history, which is essential to modern cases on the right to bear arms Professors, students, and practicing lawyers will benefit from: Practical advice and resource guides for lawyers, like early career prosecutors or defenders, who will soon practice firearms law Five chapters on the diverse approaches of lower courts in applying the Supreme Court precedents in Heller and McDonald to contemporary laws Historical sources that shaped, and continue to influence, the right to arms

Provides the first comprehensive post-Heller account of the Second Amendment as constitutional law - dispelling many myths along the way.