As far as I know, our first congress passed the second amendment without controversy and without discussing whether it gave individuals the right to own guns. The members of congress had grown up under British law. In those days anyone with money could buy a gun. It was like buying a hoe. Gun permits did not exist. No controversy. Then, over time, everything changed.
All the recent talk about the intent of the Founding Fathers from both sides of the gun control issue has been pointless.
In plain English, the second amendment says that people have the right to keep and bear arms so they can be formed up in 30 minutes to defend the country. That turned out to be an inadequate defense system, and technology soon replaced single shot rifles with weapons that fired many times, including revolvers and carbines. In the Civil War a cavalryman might ride into battle carrying four revolvers, giving him 24 shots before reloading.
Today nearly all murders are committed with hand guns (not rifles). We need new laws.
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