Page six of the November 1940 issue of American Rifleman carried a very important appeal headline: “SEND A GUN TO DEFEND A BRITISH HOME.” It explained: “British civilians, faced with threat of invasion, desperately need arms for defense of their homes. THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR DEFENSE OF BRITISH HOMES has organized to collect gifts of pistols, rifles, revolvers, shotguns, binoculars from American civilians who wish to answer the call and aid in defense of British homes. The arms are being shipped, with the consent of the British Government, to CIVILIAN COMMITTEE FOR PROTECTION OF HOMES, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.”
And NRA members responded with the donation of thousands of small arms including rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols.
http://www.fa-ir.org/ai/second_amend.htm
Incidentally, the NRA’s call to help arm Britain in 1940 resulted in the collection of more than 7,000 firearms for Britain’s defense against potential invasion by Germany (Britain had virtually disarmed itself with a series of gun control laws enacted between World War I and World War II).
http://www.nracentral.com/history.php
I understand that nearly all of those firearms voluntarily sent by private Americans to Britain were destroyed by the UK government after the war. With that track record, why would Americans ever again send their private arms to the British?