This paper contributes to the historical understanding of the Second Amendmentin two ways. First, it examines the debates regarding the Constitution in the national andstate conventions. While these debates do not directly address the current gun rightscontroversy, they do provide insight into how the founding fathers viewed the use offirearms and are critical to any understanding of the Second Amendment. In addition, thispaper concludes that Anti-Federalists were not clamoring for an individual right to gun

heir mind, private citizens – have the right to bear arms. Supporters of guncontrol disagree. They argue that the first portion of the sentence is the purpose of theamendment; the framers sought to protect the collective right of the people to form amilitia. There is no individual right to bear arms, they allege; so, the government canregulate and even prohibit gun ownership. The individual and collective rightsinterpretations of the Constitution divide the nation, resulting in numerous SupremeCourt cases, political action committees, lobbies, and a host of scholarship concerningwhat the founding fathers intended.