The Origin of the Second Amendment

A Documentary History of the Bill of Rights

Second Edition
Edited by David E. Young

The American Revolutionay Era Origin Of The Second Amendment's Clauses is David E. Young's Journal on Firearms & Public Policy article from 2011.

Link to homepage for David E. Young's definitive history of the Second Amendment, The Founders' View of the Right to Bear Arms.

David Young's Critical Commentary Page identifying and documenting numerous historical errors in briefs filed by Professional Historians, Linguists, Chicago, and Other Amici supporting Washington DC's gun control laws in the Heller case.

On Second Opinion is Mr. Young's fact checking blog documenting the fundamental historical errors in Justice Stevens' Heller Dissent as well as those found in the briefs from academic historians in the Heller and McDonald U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Information about David E. Young's document collection, The Origin of the Second Amendment, follows.

An 838-page indexed compendium of sources from the Constitutional and Bill of Rights era. View the table of contents. See what the reviewers are saying. The Origin of the Second Amendment is printed on acid free paper. Hardcover copies have a sewn library binding.

Citations in the U.S. Supreme Court Heller Case

The Origin of the Second Amendment was cited six times in Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Washington D.C. vs Heller case issued June 26, 2008. Origin was cited a total of thirty-eight times in eight different briefs arguing historical points presented to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Heller case. These briefs included Alan Gura's respondent's brief and amicus briefs from State Firearms Associations, Academics for the Second Amendment, Gun Owners of America, The Paragon Foundation, and Retired Military Officers all in support of Mr. Heller, as well as amicus briefs supporting Washington DC from The American Jewish Committee et.al. and Five States plus Puerto Rico.

Citations in Federal Circuit Court Cases

The Origin of the Second Amendment has been cited in two Circuit Court of Appeals cases to document the individual rights nature of the protection afforded by the Second Amendment. It was most recently cited by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the Parker v District of Columbia decision announced March 9, 2007. The Origin of the Second Amendment was also cited well over one hundred times by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the U.S. v Emerson decision of October 16, 2001.

Ordering

The Origin of the Second Amendment can be ordered from Amazon.com in either paperback or library bound hardcover editions.

The Origin of the Second Amendment may also be ordered directly from the publisher, Golden Oak Books, by regular mail and payment by check or money order only. Paperback copies are $35.00 each and hardcover copies are $95.00 each postpaid. Michigan residents must include 6% state sales tax (total prices for MI residents would be $37.10 or $100.70 per copy, respectively). Send mail orders to:

Errata

Keep your copy of The Origin of the Second Amendment up to date by printing out the current errata page.

Links

The link to Free Republic's posting of the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette article about David E. Young and use of The Origin of the Second Amendment by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the Parker decision.

The link to Keep And Bear Arms' posting of the pre-decision interview with David E. Young, editor of The Origin of the Second Amendment, by Michael Pelletier published shortly after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in the U.S v Emerson case.

Some links to other interesting and useful resources.

For further information, contact deyoung1@chartermi.net
This page last updated: March 26, 2021