Document Type
Article
Subject Area
General Law Division
Abstract
The debate around what types of “arms” the Second Amendment protects is revitalized in the wake of Bruen’s renewed focus on our historical tradition as the determinative factor in Second Amendment cases. Thus far, several district courts have upheld state “assault weapon” bans in part by relying on an overly sanitized version of the Second Amendment that our founders, as well as their immediate descendants in the 19th century, would consider unrecognizable. While prior generations of Americans undoubtedly believed self-defense, hunting, and sport were all important components of the right to keep and bear arms, an overriding purpose frequently dominated their discussion of that right: preventing and responding to tyranny. This Article aims to bring renewed attention to the overwhelming amount of founding-era and 19th-century commentary that emphasizes the importance of the Second Amendment right as a tool to resist tyranny. In light of the clear history, so-called “assault weapon” bans and similar laws are incompatible with our historical tradition and should be struck down.
DOI
10.59643/1942-9916.1498
Rights
Copyright © 2023 by the WYOMING LAW REVIEW unless otherwise noted. Except as otherwise provided, copies of any article may be made for classroom use, provided that: (1) Copies are distributed at or below cost; (2) The author and the journal are identified; (3) Proper notice of copyright is affixed to each copy, and (4) The WYOMING LAW REVIEW is notified of the use.
Recommended Citation
Michel, C.D. and Moros, Konstadinos
(2024)
"Restrictions "Our Ancestors Would Never Have Accepted": The Historical Case Against Assault Weapon Bans,"
Wyoming Law Review: Vol. 24:
No.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.uwyo.edu/wlr/vol24/iss1/3