This post is part of an ongoing series dedicated to understanding the Second Amendment. If you haven’t done so already, I recommend starting with my first post in this series.

First off, it is only fair that my readers know my sources, and I love wikipedia.com! It’s at my fingertips, and it’s easy to use. Most importantly, several external sources have reported on the wiki’s validity (see USA Today article). That being said, I will not rely solely on one source during this series. Appropriately, I will reveal my sources as I obtain information.

So what is a bill of rights? According to my good friend Wikipedia,

A bill of rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a group of people. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement of people. The term “bill of rights” originates from Britain, and it refers to the fact that the English Bill of Rights was literally a bill, which is a proposed law, that was passed by Parliament in 1689.

Popular bills of rights over the years include: Hammurabi’s code (e.g., ‘eye for an eye’), Canadian Bill of Rights, Fundamental Rights of Indian Citizens, and the United States Bill of Rights (1789, ratified in 1791).

Context of the Second Amendment:

Most people know very well that the Bill of Rights include the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which is considered the “supreme law” of the United States (quoted from Wikipedia). To understand the context of the Second Amendment, it is only fitting that we take at least a brief look at all ten amendments (can you name all ten)?

1. Thou shalt have no gods before Me
2. Thou shalt not use My name in vain

Woops…wrong list of 10…here’s the correct 10 in plain English (not original text):

1. Freedom of religion, speech, press, etc…
2. Right to keep and bear arms
3. Protection from putting up troops (quartering) in your house
4. Protection from unreasonable search/seizure
5. Due process & private property
6. Right to a “speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury” (referring to criminal trials)
7. Civil trial by jury (note: the value in controversy between parties has to be greater than $20)
8. Excessive bail is prohibited
9. Rights not mentioned in the Constitution/Bill of Rights remain protected
10. Power of the state & people (powers not controlled by the US government by the Constitution are reserved to states and/or people

It is this backdrop upon which many hunters (including myself) cite the Second Amendment. I am ashamed that I did not know most others, because if I’m going to be so adamant about one right that is protected (right to bear arms), then I should at least know what the others are.

A closing though unrelated to the present issue: Imagine what our founding fathers would think if they saw that their first Amendment has been transformed into blogging!!! Yeah Freedom of Speech!!!

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