Second thoughts on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: exploring original intent and textual construction

Grubb, Farley (2026): Second thoughts on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: exploring original intent and textual construction.

Abstract

A prominent interpretation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution uses original meaning, strict construction, and textualism. The Amendment’s words mean exactly what they say, which was the original intent of the founding fathers as they fit them into the strict construction of the Constitution as drafted in 1787. The current conclusion taken from this approach is that the Second Amendment prohibits gun control laws at all legislative levels. Understanding this approach involves grammatical and historical issues that require interdisciplinary analysis. I show that when historically, grammatically, and analytically deconstructed the conclusion is the opposite of that currently propounded.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: gun control, militias, in-kind taxes, congressional restraints, judicial interpretations of constitutional law
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H1 - Structure and Scope of Government > H11 - Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government; H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H20 - General; H - Public Economics > H4 - Publicly Provided Goods; K - Law and Economics > K0 - General > K00 - General; K - Law and Economics > K1 - Basic Areas of Law > K19 - Other; K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior > K49 - Other; N - Economic History > N4 - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation > N41 - U.S. ; Canada: Pre-1913

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