The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was not created for hunting and it also is not limited to muskets as is often suggested. What the 2nd Amendment really means is right here.
“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.”
A lot of television personalities wade into debates with the 2nd Amendment unarmed and trying to confuse people into believing this amendment or any other part of the Constitution is an amazingly complex and hard to comprehend document. This couldn’t be any further from the truth and it also sends a message to the informed that the television world is full of arrogance and ignorance. If we want to know the intent and reasoning for this idea we can trace it’s roots all the way back the to the Federalist Papers and James Madison who was heavy handed in the creation of our Constitution. James Madison was the fourth President used ideas from the Virginia Constitution as a basis in order to create the U.S. Constitution.
Take the following quotes from James Madison for example. We can clearly see the 2nd Amendment was based upon an idea of self-defense as well as a tool to thwart a tyrannical government. Nothing is ever mentioned about hunting or the exact type of weaponry or even any limits on the ammunition or specific arms.
“Americans have the right and advantage of being armed ― unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” (The Federalist, No. 46)
“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation…. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” (The Federalist, No. 46)
“It is not certain that with this aid alone [possession of arms], they would not be able to shake off their yokes. But were the people to posses the additional advantages of local governments chosen by themselves, who could collect the national will, and direct the national force; and of officers appointed out of the militia, by these governments and attached both to them and to the militia, it may be affirmed with the greatest assurance, that the throne of every tyranny in Europe would be speedily overturned, in spite of the legions which surround it.” (The Federalist, No. 46)
Once again, I didn’t see muskets and I didn’t see hunting in there. It’s obvious that the 2nd Amendment was based more upon an idea than it was a specific weapon. That idea is that small arms ownership is a right for self-defense and a necessary deterrent for a tyrannical government. The next time some idiot confronts you with stupid muskets and black powder talking points be prepared to show them just how stupid they are. And those kind of idiots even think their line of thought is clever…
Now that we have that behind us we can see the 2nd Amendment is an individual right created for all citizens and not so that states or Congress would have a starting point in creating a government militia.