The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms
Lawbiding Americans seem today to take for granted the rights that our founders declared for us to protect ourselves and our homes. Perhaps we need to open our eyes to see how we have become dependent on our police and judicial system to defend us when they today can't usually be there until after the fact. But the crooks can and are there, so guns tend to be outlawed or limited for private citizens and fear tactics used to deter individual citizens from bearing arms for self-protection and self-defense.

This book is very useful in focusing on the source of the Second Amendment and why we are losing this right by apathy, fear tactics and unrealistic, outmoded beliefs in someone saving us from crime, insurrection, hurricanes, riots and other events which can bring out the worst in some of us today in the US. Will you be safe and trust others to be there for you without some way of protecting yourself and your family in the meantime? Hopefully, you won't have to find out!

This work is an excellent scholarly treatise on the 2nd amendment of the US Constitution, its origin, environment and intent of those who supported this amendment. The arguments supporting a citizen's right to keep and bear arms at all times unregulated by the Federal Government are thorough and convincing. Most likely, few, if any, judges or liberals/statists in the judiciary, US Government or anti-gun organizations have or will read this book.

The only problem with this book is that it is a book. With the internet, media and education, both primary and secondary, controlled by the far-left, a precious few will actually be able to discover this work and come to understand out essential right with regard to gun ownership. Somehow this needs to get into the schools beyond the leftist faculty.

Clearly the American Revolution could not have taken place without private firearm ownership in the thirteen colonies. In fact the war broke out over a British attempt to confiscate private firearms and military supplies -- something somehow glossed over today.

Part and parcel with private ownership of firearms was the citizen's right and duty to be a member of a local militia, not even a state militia, for the defense of life and liberty. Jefferson was a devout believer in militias, and promoted their maintenance and expansion to his dying day. But the militias could not be effective without private ownership of weapons and the citizens' becoming expert in their use.

With respect to the exact wording in the Constitution, it should be noted that only "people" have rights, and the word "people" in "the right of the people" was clearly meant to be synomous with "the right of each citizen." The author's very scholarly work determines that beyond question.

This is a very fine work and should be required reading before an individual can become a citizen. I recommend it to everyone, not just those wishing to retain their guns for hunting. The battle line has been drawn on whether the people will give up a constitutional right to the Federal Government who, like the British in 1775, would prefer the people to be fully disarmed so that the ruling elite would never have anything to fear from its subjects.

Whether this book will influence those in power is a story for the future.

My order was easily placed. Delivery was fast. Thanks, Amazon.com
The book is precise. Easy, to understand. Well written. It is not subjected, to Politically Correct
Misconceptions. A good learning tool and is very self-evident.
It reveals the true meaning, of the Second Amendment. It should become, a best seller. Every real American should have a copy. Even, as a turn to, self defense weapon.

Every history teacher, lawyer and politician should be required to read this book. It is also recommended to be read by every citizen who exercises his/her right to vote.
Stephen P. Halbrook has written a very factual, well annotated, book about the origins of the Bill of Rights and particularly the 2nd Amendment. He gives the history of the lives and conditions that lead to the colonists taking up arms in a revolution against the tyrannical policies of George III and he does it using the words of the original founding Fathers themselves. The book is well researched and with many direct quotes from those who lived it. The 18th century English is a bit hard to read at times, but well worth the effort.

No one, after having read this book, could possibly argue that gun control laws are in any way legal or constitutional. The right of a 'free man' to keep and bear arms was so well understood by the colonists during the time of the American Revolution and the writing of our Constitution and Bill of Rights that there was absolutely no discussion or controversy over the 2nd Amendment. Interestingly enough, all the arguments and controversy were about the 'freedom of religion' clause in the 1st Amendment. Many wanted that clause to specify protection for the Christian religion only. Others would limit it even more to Protestant Christians only. So much for the recent quote from Obama during his recent tour of Turkey, "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation..."

History had already taught the colonists from as far back as the Roman Legions or the writings of Cicero and as recent to them as the example of the Privy Council of the Ottoman Empire ('These Turkish rulers were considered perhaps the world's most absolute despots') that the first step in enslaving the people of a country was to disarm them. That fact is no less true today than it ever was.

It becomes very clear while reading this book that the founding fathers intended the 2nd Amendment to be an individual right and that the purpose for it was to insure that the federal government could NEVER grow so big as to not listen to and not be ruled by the will of the people.

We were all taught in school that a people who fails to learn and remember their history are doomed to repeat it. This book is our history and unfortunately, most do not know it.

Excellent book. Wish I could supply every high school student in the country with a copy.

I recommend this book. It is very informative. I am ordering a few more copies for friends!

This book chronicles the entire basis for the Second Amendment from the lead up to the American Revolution through the writing of each State's Constitutions and Bills of Rights and the United States Constituion and Bill of Rights. Specifically, it traces the historical right of all citizens to keep and bear arms for their own defense and protection as well as the protection of the nation. This book is a must read for ALL politicians or those aspiring to politics. In fact, I would say it is a must read for ALL Americans period!! Believe me, a lot would change in our real world politics if they would do so.

I knew exactly what I wanted when I ordered this book, and I am very pleased with the dealer I purchased it from. The writer Mark Levin is to me and many Americans a beacon of Democracy, tells it like it is. The condition of the "Used" book I purchased is to me as good as "New". Would definitely use this dealer again.

I rented this book from the library, and would certainly buy it now if I could. Didn't read other reviews, but know the book is well written and well documented. Has good and thorough analysis of "arms" in American thought from 1760's through the Militia Act of 1792. Induced thought about the second amendment, and did his job in convincing me of an individual right. Recommended.

Stephen Halbrook:
Author, is truly an inspiration to all of us who I do believe took the time and significant effort to get the Facts right, pertaining to OUR Founding Fathers and the British Americans in what they had to endure to obtain Freedom and Liberty! It's a book that I Hope a very large segment of the US population hears about and then reads!! Without Question, We as Legal US Citizens do have a Constitutional Right TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, Contrary to what the Media and the current Members of Congress and the Obama Administration want you to believe. Sincerely, Paul Magestro.

As I have always beleived , owning guns ia Right not a Privilage. And here's the proof in the pudding!

This book was great. It was researched very in depth. It's a hard read though. There are alot of documents added. It' old English and alot of it is corspondence between gov's and the like. But if you want to know the truth I recommend this book.

This book is a very well written and very well researched "Must Read" for anyone with even a passing interest in either the 2nd Amendment or the founding of this great nation. You'll learn what the Founding Fathers believed and what they intended for all of us. I highly recommend it to everyone, and it should be required reading at every law school in American and for anyone even thinking of getting into politics!

This is an extremely thorough examination of the history and meaning of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

No other part of the Bill of Rights is as regularly maligned as the right to keep and bear arms. In this scholarly text, Dr. Stephen Halbrook provides a wealth of evidence proving that this important part of the Constitution was clearly intended by the Founding Fathers to protect an individual right, and that it is not referring to the National Guard and it is not (just) about hunting, as many gun rights opponents falsely claim.

The author chronicles numerous quotes from the Framers of the Constitution, the Constitutional Convention, and the state ratifying conventions. He also examines the meaning of the words of the text and compares them to similar phrases in the Constitution.

Some of the conclusions are these:

Militia refers to the whole people, the British (and many others) have used gun control to subjugate the population, 'an armed populace was the cornerstone of the ideal polity ...', there was no controversy among the Founding Fathers about the importance of an armed population for securing liberty, an armed citizenry would prevent a federal tyranny, the European monarchies were afraid of an armed populace, and only individuals have rights whereas the United States and various states have powers.

There are many other important points in this fantastic book. I highly recommend it.

The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms

This is a must read, how can one hope to defend your rights if you don't know what they are. For yourself, for your childern; please pick this up and pass it on when finished.

Dave

An eye opening look at the second amendment. Honest unbiased fact filled. A must read for freedom loving Americans who know that freedom only prospers when combined with personal responsibility and less government intrusion.

Great book! Too bad the mainstream media will not review it nor read it. I would recommend reading this, along with a copy of the US Constitution and perhaps the Federalist Papers to gain an understanding of who founded this country and their predicates.

An incredible compilation an interesting account of how the second amendment was formed. A factual acount of the foundation of the second amendment that lays to rest most of what it's opposition uses to argue against it. A must read.

A well written, clear and exhaustive look at the Right to Bear Arms and its significance for all Americans. Highly recommend

The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms

This book is an EXCELLENT factual and historical illustration that the Founding Fathers FULLY intended that the right to keep and bear arms was an INDIVIDUAL right that government had NO right to infringe upon.

It also makes clear that the purposes of keeping and bearing arms were (and are):
1) self defense against criminal actions (including defending your family and others who you may witness being victimized)
and
2) to assure that the People had the collective ability to overthrow the government should it overstep its bounds and become tyranical. The Founders had seen that the British tried to disarm the colonists in order that they might maintain tyranical rule over them and they had the common sense to forsee that the government could again become tyranical in the future, so their intent was to provide the "ultimate check and balance" -the power of the people to rise up and overthrow such a tyranical government - something that would be impossible for a disarmed populace.

Read this book and you will understand the thoughts and views of the Founders - and you will also understand why the socialist liberals are so intent on disarming us ... it has NOTHING to do with "safety" ... states with permissive laws on "right to carry" have far lower violent crime rates than the states with the most restrictive (and unconstitutional) gun laws.

Please read this book with a thoughtful and open mind.

This is an excellent book for history buffs. A large number of the events parallel our own time.

I haven't finished the book, but I'm pleased with it so far. While it does provide plenty of end-notes, I'm finding it very readable as a historical narrative. The first section, "Disarming the Colonists," fills in a lot of details about the early secessionist movement, what caused it, and how it grew. It is a mostly chronological layout of when, why, and how the founders came to consider the right of private citizens to retain their arms to be a basic right of free people, going back to English common-law. While primarily focusing on the "arms" question, this book gives a good account of what sort of "outrages" finally drove the colonists into revolt; a revolt which would have been doomed to failure if not for the tenacity they exhibited in protecting their "right to keep and bear arms."

Later sections cover the Revolution itself, and the creation of the Constitution. I haven't read so far yet, but, based on what I HAVE read, I expect those to be as well-written and informative as the first section.

Highly recommended for serious students of the Revolutionary period, and the founder's intent on the "gun-control" question.

This book is very well written and provides a very well researched and educated history on the second amendment. Gun owners should definitely make this a part of their investment. Anti-gun people should take the time and read this and become educated to the roots of our rights.

The party line among gun-grabbers is that the Second Amendment is a collective right, that it refers to the states' rights to maintain a militia. The party line of intelligent gun owners, such as myself, is that it is an individual right.

I am reading a very well researched book called The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms by Stephen P. Halbrook. It traces the actual intent of the Founding Fathers and proves, by citation of letters, speeches and newspaper articles from that era, that the Founders meant it as an individual right.

The argument is effectively solved in the book's introduction:

The "right of the people" as used in the First, Second and Fourth Amendments are contrasted with such phrases as "the militia, when in actual service" in the Fifth Amendment and with the powers "reserved to the states respectively" in the Tenth Amendment."

Then the book goes on for 420 pages more proof that the Second Amendment is an individual right, if anyone still has their doubts.

The Second Amendment is very much in danger as of yesterday. Obama is surrounding himself with gun haters from the Clinton administration, and putting them in place at the highest levels - including his chief of staff (Rohm Emanuel), attorney general (Eric Holder) and secretary of state (Hilary Clinton).

I urge people to write their representatives and tell them how they feel. I did, and I cited this book as recommended reading to all of them.

MWD

Stephen Halbrook details the thoughts and writings of the Founding Fathers and others when they proposed and passed the Second Amendment to the Constitution. Much has been written about the First Amendment, and the rights that affords, but many people fail to realize that "the Second protects the First". A look at history confirms this. Halbrook has done a wonderful job setting forth the reasoning and historical steps behind one of the main cornerstones of our freedoms.

I never learned much of substance in my American history or government classes in public schools. (As an A+ student, I thought I was
educated, but it turned out only "educated" the way they wanted.) Indeed, my journey into understanding liberty, especially regarding gun ownership, started after I graduated from high school.

After a little research, I found out the schools, the media & the politicians were all lying to us. I have read other books by Halbrook, but this one is the most powerful yet. It slices through all the bull we have been fed over the years with historical facts about a people who loved liberty, who suffered for it, and who attempted to preserve it for us. (It is a shame how far we have fallen - gun control? fundamentally it is unconstitutional & therefore illegal).

This book should be required reading in all American history or government classes. Upon reading this book students would have a much more complete picture what liberty is all about & what it took to get it back & what it takes to keep it.

I highly recommend this book. I only wish I could afford to donate a copy to every student in my local school district.

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." ~ V for Vendetta.

In todays terror filled climate the US government will go to whatever lengths needed to deny a citizen the right to keep and bear arms. The fact of the matter is taking away a persons right to defend their loved ones and property is a governments first step towards authoritarian dictatorship. Citizens should be warned that once a basic right, set down by our founding forefathers, is taken away from them it is almost impossible to get back.

This book is, quite simply, the most important book I've ever read regarding the second amendment. The author uses our founding fathers words, very heavily footnoted mind you, to relate what they lived through and what ultimatley became the 2nd amendment. This is not a novel and it doesn't read like one. It is hard core fact! You should plan to go slow and drink in the history, our founders words, their character and their intellect. I dare say, as I read the book, I felt ashamed of who we have become as a people, of how we've allowed our rights, so bravely fought for by people who risked everything, to be diminished and stripped away. Do you know who Crispus Attucks was? What was significant about gunpowder? What significance does April 19th hold? What does 'Militia' mean, as written in the 2nd amendment? Who was that Militia? What does 'Well Regulated' mean as written in the 2nd amendment? Answers to these and many more questions will be given in the first 1/4 of the book!
Please, I beg you as a fellow American, buy this book and read it. You can't afford not to, and you will learn exactly what the 2nd Amendment really means. Please! Buy the book!

Professor Holbrook's well writen treatise is an eye opening compilation of historical and legislative evidence that sheds bright light on what has remained an obscure part of constitutional discourse. Dr. Holbrook's book belongs on the shelf of every college and law school in America and perhaps its most important place would be in the hands of those judges and justices who decide the validity of this nation's vast network of gun laws.

Halbrook has again proven himself to be a thorough scholar. This book is a well-researched and documented treatise on the right to bear arms as viewed abd described by the nation's founders. I encourage all readers (for or against gun rights or on the fence) to study this book.

This book is well written & shows not only our historical roots, but also what the founding fathers meant when they added the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. It was not frivilous words - they meant citizens to be able to rein-in an over-grown, out-of-control government that is taxing us & our grandchildren too much.

A great read for those who want the facts on the Second Amendment. Loads of ammo to shut down those who cry for gun control, yet have no idea why it is our right to bear arms.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in our countries history and or how we started down the road to the 2nd Admendment. Well written and backed with facts and stories to make the history come alive.

I love this book and believe it is a required read for all conscience citizens.

This book isn't for everybody. For those to whom it's directed, it's excellent and I highly recommend it. In this review I'll try to help you understand whether this book is for you.

To begin with, even if you're a gun enthusiast, you may not be interested in the political and legal details that influenced the Founders in writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This book delves into those details with enthusiasm (Halbrook is a lawyer, and a good one). Don't buy it if those would leave you cold.

For those who want the details, however, this is an excellent source. Halbrook explains in great depth the growth of the "gun culture" in colonial America, and the efforts of the British government to stifle that culture. Most gun enthusiasts probably know that the American Revolution was triggered by a "gun confiscation" mission ordered by General Gage, which led to fighting at Lexington and Concord. However, Halbrook describes the actions that led up to Lexington and Concord, from 1765 on, including embargoes on shipment of gunpowder to the Colonies, seizure of gunpowder from Colonial powderhouses, and eventually the confiscation of all firearms in Boston.

Halbrook gives only a brief treatment to the conduct of the Revolutionary War itself, except to note the importance of gunpowder smuggled in from the Dutch colony of St. Eustatia. However, the war is not his real focus. His emphasis is on how the Revolutionary War influenced the people who wrote the Constitution.

Halbrook goes into great depth on the debate over whether the Constitution should have a Bill of Rights. On the one side were the Federalists, who argued that a Bill of Rights might eventually become a ceiling over Americans' rights, instead of a floor under them. Why, the Federalists argued, should the Government be forbidden to do certain things which the main body of the Constitution gave it no power to do? The anti-Federalists, who were unhappy with the idea of strong central government in the first place, demanded a Bill of Rights as a price for ratifying the Constitution. Halbrook goes into great depth on these arguments, quoting advocates from both sides.

As it turned out, the Federalists got the Constitution they wanted, with a strong central government, but (supposedly) with only limited powers. The anti-Federalists got the Bill of Rights they wanted, although in retrospect it should be called a Bill of Limitations. Every article in the first ten Amendments is a restriction on the power of the Federal government, not a grant of rights to the citizens ("Congress shall make no law. . ."). One of the great strengths of this book is the description of how it turned out that way: who were the actors, what did they say, and how did they work for what they wanted.

The assumption behind the book, of course, is that the intent of the Founders in writing the Constitution still matters. The Second Amendment, in particular, is not a thing of "emanations from penumbras," to be interpreted by the courts according to "modern conditions," but was the work of people who had to fight for their freedom from tyranny, and who intended that the means for that fight should never be taken away from American citizens. To those for whom that assumption is still valid, the book is an excellent resource on the history and reasoning behind the Bill of Rights, and the Second Amendment in particular.

Excellent book, Mr Holbrook is very knowledgable on the subject matter. It is very educational, and can be hard to read at times, but once you get through all the leagleeze, it is great. One of the best books I've read on this subject, and I would highly recomend it to anybody interested in the second amendment, and what it REALLY stands for.

THE FOUNDERS' SECOND AMENDMENT: ORIGINS OF THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS considers the history of the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms in early America from 1768 to 1826, offering up the first book-length account of these origins based on the Founders' own statements from newspapers, debates, and legislative resolutions. The depth and detail added to source material quotes makes this a fine pick for both college and high school collections strong in American history and politics.