The Second Amendment Primer: A Citizen's Guidebook to the History, Sources, and Authorities for the Constitutional Guarantee of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

by Les Adams

Overview

So much of the debate about the Second Amendment is in scholarly journals and academic papers written by scholars and judges, or directed towards other scholars, law professors, attorneys, and judges. Trying to wade through the extensive footnotes and references to legal cases and historical precedents known only to the academic elite is more than enough to make anyone feel hopeless.

With The Second Amendment Primer, Les Adams finally provides an accessible discussion of the Second Amendment. It is a “primer” because it is elementary. Chronologically arranged, it traces the development of the right to keep and bear arms from its birth in ancient Greece to its addition in the U.S. Constitution. Supplemental essays discuss the Second Amendment’s interpretation in today’s world from the viewpoints of both firearms enthusiasts as well as those who would limit the amendment’s purview.

Although The Second Amendment Primer is aimed at the average reader, Adams’s facts are detailed and well-documented. Reference margin notes, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive subject index showcase the author’s research and show more curious readers how to continue on their path to understanding exactly what the Second Amendment is saying. Using this “citizen’s guide” as a stepping stone, anyone can become a successful scholar of the right to bear arms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626364868
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Les Adams is a lawyer, editor, and publisher. He has a BA in English from the University of North Carolina, an MA in English from Columbia University, a JD, cum laude, from the Cumberland Law School of Samford University, and an LLD from Iowa’s William Penn College. He is a member of the Alabama Bar Association and a life member of the National Rifle Association. He resides in Houston, Texas.

Table of Contents

Foreword 1

Introduction 3

I Early Expressions of the Right in Ancient Times 17

II Expressions of the Right in Sixteenth-To Eighteenth-Century Continental Europe 27

III The Development and Declaration of the Right in England 39

IV The Development and Declaration of the Right in America 69

A Drafting and Ratification of the Bill of Rights in the Colonial Period 69

B A Selection of Second Amendment Commentary Appearing in the Popular Press in Colonial Times 113

C The State of the Law 129

D A Selection of Contemporary Commentary 145

A Final Word 157

Appendix 163

The Second Amendment and the Personal Right to Arms William Van Alstyne 165

The Embarrassing Second Amendment Sanford Levinson 187

A Nation of Cowards Jeffrey R. Snyder 221

Biographical Profiles of Quoted Authorities 247

Notes 267

Twentieth-Century Bibliography 319

Acknowledgments 345

Index 347