Pre-District of Columbia v. Heller Second Amendment Materials

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Read an overview of legal doctrine on the Second Amendment prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in DC v. Heller.

Summary of Second Amendment Case Law

Summaries of over 200 federal and state appellate cases that rejected Second Amendment challenges to firearms laws prior to DC v. Heller.

Read summaries of federal cases.
Read summaries of state cases.

The Second Amendment: Frequently Asked Questions (March 2008)

Find answers to commonly asked questions about the Second Amendment prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in DC v. Heller.

Public Education Campaign

Supreme Court To Decide Important Second Amendment Case (2007)
Press release reacting to decision by U.S. Supreme Court to hear case challenging District of Columbia’s handgun ban.

D.C. Circuit Issues Important Second Amendment Ruling (2007)
Electronic newsletter announcing the issuance of a court’s unprecedented interpretation of the Second Amendment.

What's the Difference Between Guns and Lemonade? (2001)
Public education ad explaining that the Second Amendment is not a barrier to the passage of state and local gun laws.

Take the Law Into Your Own Hands and Change It (2001)
Public education ad explaining that the Second Amendment is not a barrier to the passage of state and local gun laws.

Charlton Heston Didn't Write the Second Amendment. He Just Acts That Way (March 27, 2000)
Public education ad correcting the National Rifle Association’s misstatements regarding the meaning of the Second Amendment.

An Open Letter to the NRA (March 27, 2000)
Letter authored by 50 prominent law professors and historians correcting the National Rifle Association’s misstatements regarding the meaning of the Second Amendment.