Common Sense in the Second Amendment: Eighteenth-Century English and the U.S. Bill of Rights, Paperback

This book analyses the words "infringe" and "abridge" to boost an accurate understanding of the Second Amendment. The wording of the first and second amendments was shaped by the period when the Bill of Rights was created by the authors and ratified by the states and it was shaped by previous centuries of English usage and etymology. The language of 1789 should be an important element in the ongoing discussion of gun control policies, a crucial issue for the people and our courts.

"Disagreement remains intense about the meaning and application of the Second Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms remains a divisive issue in American Constitutional law and in politics. Dr. Margie Burns' new book is a timely analysis of the language of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in the minds of the authors of this provision of our Bill of Rights. This book should have a major role in the continuing debate on gun control in our country." (Vagn Hansen, PhD)

Margie Burns is a professional writer and a university faculty member. Published work includes scholarly and general-interest articles, print and online journalism, and The Female Precariat, with Tamara Ionkova Hammond and Rachelann Lopp Copland (Universitas Press, 2019).