On Sun, 17 Jun 2001, Dean Forster wrote:
> So we both agree that the bulk of their work at the
> time outside of the Constitution had a main thrust in
> supporting personal firearms ownership? I'll take
> your word that a few of the federalist papers
> disagreed.
> dean the less vehement
I can't recall anything in the federalist Papers offhand on gun ownership,
but I could be wrong, of course. I'd be interested in the paper #, as,
like all good government students, I have a copy close at hand at all
times. George Will, in fact, once told me that all good conservatives
should have a copy on their bedside table. I _think_ he was joking, but
you can never be sure with him. I should point out, though, that the
Federalist Papers were written before the ratification of the Constitution
by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, _none of whom_ were in the Congress when
the Bill of Rights was drafted. In fact, most of those people whom we
traditionally think of as the Founding Fathers were not in the Congress
when the bill of Rights was written and passed, something that should be
borne in mind when we discuss their intent in writing the 2nd Amendment.
Since they were written before the ratification - they are, in fact,
political documents written expressly to support ratification - they do
not, in any case, discuss the Bill of rights in any determinative fashion.
Gautam Mukunda
