2nd Amendment - Advancement in Firearms Not Anticipated By Founders

2nd Amendment:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,

the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Ratification & Purpose

2nd Amendment - Ratification

 

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. Articles 3 to 12, ratified December 15, 1791, by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. 

The "Right to Keep and Bear Arms" was originally the 4th Amendment; but, was ratified as the 2nd Amendment.

 

National Archives - Milestone Documents: Bill of Rights; https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/bill-of-rights

2nd Amendment - Original Pupose

 

To identify the Second Amendment’s original purpose, one must step back into the political and linguistic world of the late 18th century, a world with a profoundly different understanding of militias, regulation, and the relationship between citizen and state. (GovFacts: https://govfacts.org/rights-freedoms/constitutional-rights/right-to-bear-arms/what-well-regulated-means-in-the-second-amendment/)

 

What did "well regulated Militia" mean in 1791?

For what reason(s) did "people keep and bear arms" in 1791?

What type of fire arms were available in 1791?

How many shots/rounds per minute did fire arms have in 1791?

How accurate were fire arms in 1791 and for what distance(s)?

How do the answers to the above questions from 1791 compare to responses in 2026?