Interpreting the Bill of Rights

While the framers of the Constitution may have had single-shot pistols and muskets in mind, it is only because those were the military weapons of the day.

The framers were leery of central government. They feared its tendency to become oppressive, and wished to preserve the people’s ability to throw it off. Remembering that the British had attempted gun control during the Revolutionary War, they intended the Second Amendment to protect the ability of the people to militarily resist despotism. They intended the right to bear arms to mean the weapons of war. Written today, the Second Amendment would include automatic weapons and other ordnance.

The Second Amendment is about the preservation of freedom in dire circumstances. It was never about gun collecting or duck hunting. Nor should it be, unless amended by the procedure provided by the Constitution.

MICHAEL P. LAWLER

Los Angeles