Implications of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution has increasingly appeared in the political spotlight over the last few years, being cited frequently in gun control debates amid rising numbers of mass shootings. But to what extent is the right for individuals to bear arms actually protected in the Constitution, and what are the implications of this protection on politics today?

History of the Second Amendment

The Second Amendment was entered into the Bill of Rights in 1791. It was viewed by the founding fathers as a means to protect the safety of liberty in the United States (US Const. amend II), by allowing citizens to form organised military groups. This also helped regulate the power of the federal government, which was a prominent concern after the US gained independence from the British imperial rule. In addition, gun control measures were common at local and state levels for decades after. Firearms were kept in central locations in towns, and certain towns required visitors to hand over all firearms upon entry (Churchwell & Olusoga, 2025). However, today the Second Amendment is seen as a protection of the use of guns for self-defense, a modern interpretation that did not exist for the first two centuries of the law’s existence. This interpretation became widely recognised after a 2008 Supreme Court decision (District of Columbia vs. Heller) ruled that the opening ‘militia’ clause of the Second Amendment was merely an introductory statement, and therefore did not limit the right to bear arms for use in militias only (Duignan & Charles, 2025). 

Pro-gun rights views

Advocates for gun rights historically have existed in the Deep South. This originates from just after the American Civil War (1861-65). The end of the war meant that the guns used in fighting no longer had a purpose. People in the defeated Confederate states (in the South), though they could not legally keep slaves, used firearms to maintain control of the formerly enslaved Black population. This terror campaign evolved into many white supremacist groups, most notably the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). 

More recently, the pro-gun rights campaign is headed by one major organisation: the National Rifle Association (NRA). The 2008 Heller decision came as a result of intense lobbying and legal campaigns, funded by the NRA. The NRA was founded as a gun safety organisation in the aftermath of the Civil War, as ordinary citizens-turned-soldiers were unable to use rifles properly. It is estimated that only 1 in 1000 shots fired during the Civil War actually hit their intended target. Therefore, the NRA began as an apolitical organisation, aiming to educate people on using firearms safely, and stayed this way for most of its existence. However in 1977, a coup led by convicted murderer and gun rights enthusiast Harlan Carter overthrew the more moderate leaders and turned the association into a gun rights advocacy group. Today, the NRA directly funds politicians who oppose gun control, painting themselves as America’s “longest-standing civil rights group” (National Rifle Association, n.d.) — in other words, the protectors of individual liberties in America. 

The NRA was also founded as an organisation that focused on the use of guns for sport (e.g. hunting). However, in the 1990s, an image of gun use for self-defense eclipsed the previous narrative. This was a result of a large marketing campaign to promote the image of guns for self-defense. One way in which this was done was instilling fear in the public; encouraging Americans to fear their neighbors, among increased concern about crime levels. Advertisers argued that an effective way to prevent crime was to own firearms. Another method was associating guns with masculinity; a 2009 Bushmaster advertisement depicts an AR-15 assault rifle along with the tagline “Consider your man-card reissued.” (Waxman, 2022)  In addition, guns are increasingly being marketed towards people in urban areas, due to higher crime levels. Today, 72% of gun owners in the US cite protection as a main factor as to why they own a firearm, according to a 2017 study by Pew Research (Parker et al., 2017).