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> The 2nd amendment was written when muskets were state of the art and assault weapons like AR-15s were almost beyond belief. Well, there is no definition for

> The 2nd amendment was written when muskets were state of the art and assault weapons like AR-15s were almost beyond belief. Well, there is no definition for the term "assault weapon", and semi-automatic (edit: not semi-automatic, but self-cocking repeating, similar operation and results) weapons were well known (and not that far away from being popularized) by the time the second amendment was drafted, and by the people who were drafting it. "Arms" also encompassed things like cannons and explosive charges, which could be fitted freely to ships/properties and stored (though the latter could create a tort, if you don't take necessary precautions) by private persons, as proven in case law. It also applied to bladed, blunt, or more unconventional arms. The word "arms" is used instead of "muskets" because the right being protected is the right of the people to own arms sufficient to feasibly defend themselves (or, with a militia, defend their community), and to do so unmolested.

hluska 9y ago
My research might be wrong here, but I thought the 2nd amendment was passed in 1791, whereas Mannlicher didn't design the first successful semi-automatic rifle until 1885.
- deleted 9y ago
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- microcolonel 9y ago
  There was also the Kalthoff repeater[0], which is thought to have been used in two conflicts in the mid 1600s, and designed/manufactured around that time. These were demonstrated and documented at least a hundred years before the second amendment was drafted, along with copies and demonstrations of similar mechanisms. The only question might be whether they could be considered "semi-automatic". In that sense I guess they're about as automatic as double-action revolvers. I think I'm wrong in calling them semi-automatic then, but there is little practical difference between DA revolvers and semi-automatic firearms, except that one has a chamber for each cartridge. The Kalthoff mechanism is a bit more confusing with these definitions, since it uses a single chamber, but has separate magazines for charge and bullet, but reloads, cocks, and fires through a single manual action. I should probably have said self-cocking repeaters. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalthoff_repeater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalthoff_repeater

hluska 9y ago

My research might be wrong here, but I thought the 2nd amendment was passed in 1791, whereas Mannlicher didn't design the first successful semi-automatic rifle until 1885.

deleted 9y ago
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microcolonel 9y ago
There was also the Kalthoff repeater[0], which is thought to have been used in two conflicts in the mid 1600s, and designed/manufactured around that time. These were demonstrated and documented at least a hundred years before the second amendment was drafted, along with copies and demonstrations of similar mechanisms. The only question might be whether they could be considered "semi-automatic". In that sense I guess they're about as automatic as double-action revolvers. I think I'm wrong in calling them semi-automatic then, but there is little practical difference between DA revolvers and semi-automatic firearms, except that one has a chamber for each cartridge. The Kalthoff mechanism is a bit more confusing with these definitions, since it uses a single chamber, but has separate magazines for charge and bullet, but reloads, cocks, and fires through a single manual action. I should probably have said self-cocking repeaters. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalthoff_repeater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalthoff_repeater