It’s not a dissertation but it is a bite size rebuttal to this perrenial myth.Thank you, jamil! This point needs to be made far more loudly and far more often. Despite being peddled by supposed experts, and even those in the highest levels of political leadership, it is a complete, 100% myth that there were any weapons outlawed for civilian ownership in the early days of our country. Start looking for examples of gun control in our country's early days, and guess what you'll find: it's that the first gun control efforts were intended to stop blacks and Indians from owning firearms. Think about that. They understood very well back then that the first step to oppressing and enslaving someone is to disarm him.
Second Amendment Myths and Misinformation
False Claim #1: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Has Always Been Heavily Regulated.
www.heritage.org