[tacticalogic]

If you want to be a constitutional purist, the second amendment does not apply to the states, and the right to bear arms contemplated only that every free man was entitled to own a single shot musket.

The words of the Constitution are there to convey ideas and concepts, as they were understood by the Founders at the time the document was written. While there is a case to be made that the 2A doesn't apply to the States, I find the assertion that the Founders would not consider a modern firearm to fall within their understanding of the concept of "arms" ludicrous.

[P-Marlowe]

I find the assertion that the Founders would not consider a modern firearm to fall within their understanding of the concept of "arms" ludicrous.

They didn't have car bombs in 1791 either. Should I assume then that I have a constitutional right to drive a car loaded with C-4? Do I have a constitutional right to own a howitzer or a Sherman tank and haul it around the city?