Citation

Bellesiles MA. Crime Justice 2001; 28: 137-195.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Gun regulation has been a constant component of American law, running from the first settlements in the Chesapeake. Legislatures grappled to reconcile rights and defensive needs against their fear of an unhindered access to firearms. The state's goal of arming some citizens for defense clashed with its effort to prevent the dangerous classes from possessing firearms. Complicating the whole process was a surprising public indifference to firearms prior to the twentieth century. For much of American history, few people contested the state's right to control the possession and use of firearms. In this context, the Second Amendment appeared entirely irrelevant to gun regulation. Until the middle of the twentieth century, American gun laws had a coherent and clear goal of limiting access to firearms to reliable citizens. But since World War II, efforts at gun regulation have usually been prevented by the polarizing enthusiasm for guns among a large segment of the population.

Language: en