To what extent should the right to bear arms be restricted?

 Gun Rights or Gun Control?

The history of gun rights in this country is a history of laws. The right to own guns is the subject of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. For nearly a century, both gun rights and gun control advocates have battled back and forth over restrictions on the types of guns a citizen can own, and who can own them. However, the issue always returns to a broader discussion of civil liberties: whether a right guaranteed to American citizens can be abridged or even denied under any circumstances.

At first glance, these images seem very different, but look closer. They have something in common. What we see are two American militias. On one side, we see an illustration of a colonial militia of the American Revolution. American general John Stark is depicted leading troops against the British at the Battle of Bennington in 1777. In the modern photo, we see the South Michigan Regional Militia Wolverines, a private nationalist paramilitary group. 

These images show some of the more difficult aspects of gun rights in this country. When the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution in 1791, the Second Amendment guaranteed citizens the "right to bear arms." The young country had no army. Instead, citizens served in temporary militias. They needed guns to carry out their duties. But today, the U.S. has a professional military. The Michigan Militiamen in the photo carry guns because they choose to do so. The context for gun ownership has changed considerably in 200 years. The question is, should the right to bear arms change with the times or is it a right that must remain unchanged forever?