2A Day – April 17, 2024

History of 2A Day

The Second Amendment has roots that go back to ancient Roman and Florentine times, but it wasn’t until the 16th century that the English roots began to emerge. This resulted from Queen Elizabeth I establishing a national militia made up of people from all social groups who were mandated by law to take part in defending the realm. Even though Queen Elizabeth’s attempt to create a national militia was a dismal failure, the militia’s philosophy served as a powerful political instrument up to the middle of the 18th century.

The political debate over the formation and administration of the militia had a considerable impact on both the English Civil Wars and the Glorious Revolution. Several constitutional historians contested and rejected the court’s finding that the Second Amendment protected people’s right to “keep and bear arms” for home defense, despite the outcome of the Heller and MacDonald case before the United States Supreme Court. Before the Supreme Court’s ruling in the current case, judges and academics had been discussing for about 200 years whether the Second Amendment genuinely safeguarded the right of individuals to defend themselves.

However, the definition of “self-defense” was developed in the late 20th century, and a sizeable minority of judges had adopted it by that point. The majority of Americans, particularly those who opposed gun restrictions, did not hold the self-defense viewpoint in high regard.