What Was the Purpose of A "Well Regulated Militia"?

John Payton, Director-Counsel and President, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, discusses the context and society in which the Second Amendment was created.

On March 13, 2008, ACS hosted a press briefing on the Supreme Court case, District of Columbia v. Heller, which concerns the constitutionality of the District of Columbia's ban on the private possession of handguns. Experts from a variety of perspectives discussed whether the Second Amendment protects only militia-related rights or the rights of private individuals, the appropriate standard for reviewing gun control legislation and the potential legal and policy implications of the first Court decision in this area in 68 years. Full video of the event is available on the ACS web site: http://www.acslaw.org/node/6397

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[ResponsibleGunOwner]

John Payton, Director-Counsel and President, NAACP Legal Defense Fund has an agenda. If you read the Federalist Papers or the volumes of supportive writings by the framers of the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, the overwhelming reasoning for the right of the individual to bear arms was a fear of an overbearing, tyrannical government. Slavery had nothing to do with it.

I guess when all else fails, pull the race card.

[xagcx]

This is not so much a "rural myth" but clear statements made by the founders in their writings. The real issue of the 2nd amendment is defense against tyrany, whether it be from theives, murderers, invaders or abusers of power.

Do not forget that gun control was used to disarm liberated blacks by KKK influenced lawmakers. We upheld the individual right to bear arms at that time, allowing people of color to defend themselves. Why should we step backward from that recognition today?

[airpros1]

DOES THIS FOOL PURPOSELY AVOID READING ANYTHING OF A CONSERVATIVE NATURE ? ! REALLY,.... JUST HOW IGNANT IS HE ? ! WHAT A BAG OF NUTS ! WHY HE HASN'T BEEN DISCREDITED / DISOWNED BY THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY IS BEYOND BELIEF . ALL THE ERRORS ARE TOO DAMN OBVIOUS , EVEN EMBARRASSING AND UTTERLY SHAMEFUL AS A SPOKESMAN FOR ANY DAMN ORGANIZATION !

[airpros1]

Is this guy for real ? How unbelievably stupid AND ignorant can one person be ? He does'nt even have his historical timeline close to accurate and he is utterly ignorant of the founders most sincere and gravest concerns regarding HISTORICALLY RECURRING TYRRANY BY GOVERNMENT ! ! UNBELIEVABLE ! THIS GUY IS AN ABSOLUTE SHAME TO MANKIND !

[Kingofprinces85]

"Supress insurection" yea that was hitlers excuse too.

[Hoschi0913]

correct me if iam wrong,but the way i see it...a millitia are citizens under privatly kept arms,that can call themself or be called by the leaders of their state / region into action to defend their state / region agains any invasion ,caused for example by tyrans that send their army's to surpress the citizens,in constrast to an army that is build ,maintained and under order for a tyran or regime in charge of a nation

[mrjonhicks]

As a government of the people by the people and for the people, should we decide that a small group of elite bankers are forcing us into a corner and that we don't feel it is part of the American way, we shall defend our beliefs. Our forefathers' words wether gracious or immoral means nothing in the face of the pursuit of freedom. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it you buffoon!!! If we as a people decide that we need protection from our government, then we have the right to persue it.

[michaelf1900]

the British and the Union both armed slaves and promised them freedom for fighting, and they were very effective fighters

[michaelf1900]

And militias help protect my freedom from idoits like the one on the video, and from ass up surrender liberals like you

[michaelf1900]

hey dumb ass having the slaves defend themselves would have brought slavery to an end faster and would have avoided so many lost lives in the civil war. so dumbass read real history not some dumbass liberal who favours revisonist history.

[glambike]

@michaelf1900 Tyranny? So you support the South and the slave state even today? Disregarding your grammar and proof reading failure above, the only legal Militias are the National Guard. Your silly supposition about slaves with guns to defend themselves belies your complete ignorance about history. I suggest you read Slavery: A World History by Milton Meltzer. That war ended 145 years ago and any educated person would know that your militas lost and lost the right to exist.

[michaelf1900]

@glambike A militia is a citizen that is armed and ready to fight for freedom, the government at the time was tyrannical and is was the citizen that was armed that was called upon to fight this tyrannical government. And as the dumbass in the video says slaves who did not have the right to bear arms could not defend themselves and fight for freedom.