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My latest paper on the 2A

It's posted at SSRN. "What 'Text, History and Tradition' Matter in Construing the Constitution?"

Among other finds I made: a lot of the antis' arguments on the subject invoke the 1328 Statute of Northampton, which seemingly banned all carrying of arms. I found that (1) the notion that British common law applied in the colonies is mistaken. Colonial charters often commanded the colonies to apply common law insofar as it fit in with their conditions. The monarchs recognized that the colonies would be dealing with issues that didn't arise in Britain. (2) The Statute definitely didn't fit in with American conditions. The colonies commonly commanded their residents to be armed and to carry arms on certain occasions. (3) As Clayton Cramer first suggested, the Statute's command is probably a mis-translation of the original Law French, in which "armed" probably meant "wearing armor," not "carrying arms."