Changes

== Individual or Collective Right? ==

== Individual or Collective Right? ==

For several decades, the lower federal courts had interpreted the Second Amendment as protecting merely a collective right of state militias.<ref>http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/35finalpartone.htm</ref> However, the [[U.S Supreme Court]] has always called it an individual right. The 2008 Supreme Court decision of ''[[District of Columbia v. Heller]]'' ruled 5-4 that the Second Amendment protects an individual right.

For several decades, the lower federal courts had interpreted the Second Amendment as protecting merely a collective right of state militias.<ref>http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/35finalpartone.htm</ref> However, the [[U.S Supreme Court]] has always called it an individual right. The 2008 Supreme Court decision of ''[[District of Columbia v. Heller]]'' ruled 5–4 that the Second Amendment protects an individual right.

==Where the Second Amendment comes from==

==Where the Second Amendment comes from==

The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] has heard only three major Second Amendment cases in the last 140 years:

The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] has heard only three major Second Amendment cases in the last 140 years:

*''[[United States v. Miller]]'' (1939)

*''[[United States v. Miller]]'' (1939)

*''[[District of Columbia v. Heller]]'' (1988) (a 5-4 decision written by Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] that recognized an individual right under the Second Amendment)

*''[[District of Columbia v. Heller]]'' (1988) (a 5–4 decision written by Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] that recognized an individual right under the Second Amendment)

*''[[McDonald v. Chicago]]'' (2010) (merely extended the ''Heller'' decision to apply against the States too).

*''[[McDonald v. Chicago]]'' (2010) (merely extended the ''Heller'' decision to apply against the States too).