“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well-armed and well-regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person,” wrote James Madison.
On June 8, 1789 James Madison addressed the House of Representatives and introduced a proposed Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Why congress thought to change Madison's original text pertaining to the Second Amendment I have no concrete answer. Frankly I wish they hadn't; As it's intended, the context is not debatable. In fear of convoluting the Constitution, congress agreed to Madison's Bill of Rights in Amendment form.
The Second Amendment states, "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."
In this context, comparatively to the original draft, the 2A has been thoroughly and hotly debated for more than a century. Let's break it down, dissect and define it.
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