Book Review: The Right to Bear Arms

Abstract

Halbrook has offered another outstanding and enjoyable history lesson related to gun control and the right to bear arms. A main reason for the book, according to the author, is to refute assertions that American individuals have no constitutional right to bear arms. Starting with a discussion of gun rights in medieval times, Halbrook discusses the long history of government infringements upon these rights. While federal courts have more recently disagreed on the meaning of the right to bear arms in the context of the Second Amendment, particularly in “may issue” states, Halbrook’s excellent presentation of the history of the right to bear arms reinforces the clarity of the Second Amendment within its historical context to more contemporary times.