Why gun owners should want to amend the Second Amendment

Only a clear articulation of the law will let gun-rights advocates stop worrying about intrusive regulations

A pro-gun demonstrator carries a handgun at a rally in Olympia, Washington, Jan. 19.
(Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images)

When backed into a corner, gun owners tend to cite the Second Amendment as the reason the government cannot pass certain types of gun regulation. In reality, however, the uncertain scope of Second Amendment rights is one of the primary reasons the gun-rights community absolutely opposes even the most benign improvements to the prevailing regime regulating firearms in the United States today.

To achieve a more rational and more robust system of gun regulation, we should consider amending the Second Amendment to clarify the scope of protections it affords United States citizens. Doing so would go a long way to addressing the persistent fear of slippery slopes that underlies virtually all opposition to regulatory proposals.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Jeb Golinkin is an attorney from Houston, Texas. You can follow him on twitter @jgolinkin.