In the Civic Republic: Crime, the Inner City, and the Democracy of Arms — Being a Disquisition on the Revival of the Militia at Large

Abstract

This Article examines the modern utility of the Second Amendment’s guarantee of “the right to keep and bear arms” in light of the phenomenon of modern crime, particularly black-on-black violence in urban America. Although many advocates of gun control have argued that crime in modern cities is a reason for modifying or severely truncating the right to have arms, the Authors argue that the right to have arms and the Second Amendment’s notion of a universal militia can be the basis of a new partnership between police and citizens in urban America. This new partnership can, if properly developed, be a useful tool in fighting crime in inner-city communities.

Keywords: Second Amendment, Bear Arms, Militia, Urban, Inner-City, Crime, Violence, Firearms, Gun Control, Police, Race, African American, Black-on-Black Violence, Self-Defense, Civil Rights, Citizenry, Citizen Participation