Guns have been part of life in America since Europeans arrived in what became the colonies. Colonists shot birds and deer for meat. They had guns to fight American Indians and as part of the .
The militia was both a police force and an army. Most white men had to serve in the militia when needed. The rest of the time, they farmed or worked at other jobs. Laws kept American Indians and slaves from owning guns.
The militia fought the French and American Indians for control of western lands such as the Ohio Valley. These clashes were known as the French and Indian War (17541763). Later, militias fought the British during the American Revolution (17751783). Ordinary people protected their towns, property, and families through the militia.
Many early Americans thought the militia was important for a free country. They feared the power of of the Bill of Rights does that. It also secures the right to own and carry a weapon.
Many men and some women in the colonies owned guns. English, French, and Dutch colonies in North America required all white men ages 16 to 60 to join the militia. The men bought their own guns. If men were too poor to do so, they could borrow money from the government to buy weapons.
WHY WAS THE SECOND AMENDMENT WRITTEN?
The Second Amendment grew out of many Americans fear of harsh rulers. They worried about a using the army to enforce unfair laws. They believed a militia could protect them. To have a militia, people needed arms.
Cause #1: The Use of British Soldiers in the Colonies
From 1754 to 1763, Great Britain fought with France over land in the colonies. The war was costly. King George III of Britain ordered the colonies to help pay the cost. He goods such as sugar and tea. Colonists complained.
King George III used British troops to carry out his orders. Extra British troops arrived in Boston in 1768. The colonists pestered the troops. When a worker insulted a soldier in 1770, a fight broke out. During the next few days, more people joined in. British troops eventually fired on an angry crowd. Five people died. Six more were hurt. The event became known as the Boston Massacre.
Still, colonists continued to protest the taxes. They destroyed tea during the Boston Tea Party. To punish them, members of Parliament in Great Britain passed new laws, including the Quartering Act of 1774. The Quartering Act said the people of Boston had to house soldiers in their homes.
The Boston Tea Party
About 60 colonists dressed up as American Indians on December 16, 1773. They sneaked aboard British East India Company ships in Boston Harbor. They destroyed 342 chests of tea that night. Much of it was thrown overboard. In response, the British passed new laws, including the Quartering Act of 1774. Another law closed Boston Harbor to trade. It would reopen when people paid for the ruined tea. Another act gave the kings representative, the colonial governor, more power. These acts further angered the colonists.
Colonists threw tea overboard to protest Great Britains tax on tea.
FAST FACT:
British troops were called Redcoats because of the red jackets they wore.
Cause #2: The British Army Takes Weapons and Ammunition
As tensions grew, the British tried to keep weapons away from the colonists. King George III forbade sending guns and to America in 1774. The next year, he ordered British troops to take colonists weapons. Soldiers searched peoples homes. They took any arms they found.
The British also raided public buildings where arms and ammunition were stored. They seized gunpowder from a building in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in September 1774.
They have told us we shall have no more guns, no more powder to use.
Samuel Adams, 1775, leader of the Boston Tea Party
FAST FACT:
British and colonial troops used the Brown Bess musket during the American Revolution. It was inaccurate and hard to load. Trained men could fire four lead balls per minute.
Troops tried to take arms stored near Concord, Massachusetts. These included cannons, ammunition, gunpowder, and other supplies. On April 18, 1775, 800 Redcoats marched on Concord from Boston. Paul Revere and others rode on horseback to warn patriots that the troops were coming. The local patriot militia cut off the British at the town of Lexington, Massachusetts. The first shots of the American Revolution were fired. The Redcoats later marched to Concord. They looked for the weapons, but they had been moved. The two sides clashed again, but the British retreated.
A few days later, the British took ammunition in Williamsburg, Virginia. They seized 15 barrels of gunpowder.
Colonial militia members called Minutemen fought in the Battle of Concord.
Cause #3: Earlier Rights to Bear Arms
English colonists enjoyed the right to bear arms well before the United States became a nation. The government in England had passed the English Bill of Rights in 1689. It protected many of the freedoms Americans would later spell out in the U.S. Bill of Rights. The English Bill of Rights protected the right to free speech and . It also protected the right to bear arms. English colonists had the same rights as people living in England.
When the colonies became the United States, each state wrote its own constitution. Many of the constitutions listed rights people should have. These rights often included freedom of religion. This meant people could worship as they chose. States also protected the freedom of the press. This meant people could not be punished for criticizing the government in newspapers or other writings. Several states protected the right to bear arms. They included Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, North Carolina, and Massachusetts.