For as long as Americans have owned guns, they have passed laws restricting ownership of them. From firearm restrictions that predate the Second Amendment by a century to the most recent bans on assault weapons and bump stocks, gun law has seen many changes to the freedoms that many Americans believe to be inalienable. Indeed, even the Second Amendment itself has changed, from a common right to an individual right. Many different organizations shape the gun laws that today make it both possible and impossible to own firearms, including the U.S. Supreme Court and lobbying organizations like the National Rifle Association. Political and cultural viewpoints have shifted over time, furthermore, and groups that advocate for gun freedoms today have not always done so throughout history. The current gun debates have many similarities to historical debates over freedom, crime, and what it means to be an American citizen, with no consensus despite countless politicians working to see their visions for American gun law realized.
