“Breathtaking to think how quickly our RKBA would’ve evaporated if it hadn’t been enshrined in the Bill of Rights. I doubt it would’ve survived more than a few generations.”
Actually, Americans were quite testy about their freedoms until the 20th Century. It took “progressives” like TR, Wilson, and FDR to convince enough that an intrusive, scolding nanny was acceptable. It coincided with the women’s vote.
Not testy enough, imho. There were towns in the old west where the RKBA wasn’t recognized within city limits. Dodge City and Tombstone come to mind. But I agree with you: Progressives have made it a orders of magnitude worse.